


Strong Enough to Break

by Debberdoodle



Category: Sons of Anarchy
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-14
Updated: 2021-01-15
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:42:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 33
Words: 96,341
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25254040
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Debberdoodle/pseuds/Debberdoodle
Summary: Dani Teller was 4 years old when she disappeared without a trace. 20 years later she returns to find her mother Gemma and brother Jax. Where has she been? What happened to her? and will she let anyone close enough to really know her. (Opie/OC)
Relationships: Opie Winston/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 83
Kudos: 63





	1. Chapter 01

Chapter One

Dani shook slightly as she grasped the phone in her hand, preparing herself to make a life-changing phone call. She had found them. She had found her family at last—Or at least she was fairly sure she had. 

She had been ripped away from her family when she was a young child, kidnapped by soulless monsters. Dani had escaped her captors a little less than a year ago. She had spent the first six months recovering from injuries she had sustained in the weeks leading up to her escape as well and giving herself some time to learn how to feel human again after what she had endured. The next five months she had spent trying to find her family. She knew her approximate age when she was taken, and despite her captors attempts at brainwashing her to answer to a different name, she had clung to her identity, whispering it to herself each night in the dark. “My name is not Diana; my name is Dani. My family wants me, Find them.”

It had taken some time, she had not had much to go on except her name, she didn’t know where she was taken from, or even her last name. Dani was likely a nickname for Danielle, but it could be anything really. It was as she was sitting in her room one night combing through missing persons reports online, reading the rather colorful details given by a witness. “Well that’s charming“ she thought to herself sardonically as she crossed the case off her list. The case didn’t seem to match as the girls who was kidnapped had been a few years older that she was when she suspected she had been taken and the physical description didn’t quite match up. She was about to click on the next file in her search when she paused at her turn of phrase. “That’s charming… charming.” She briefly recalled a flash of childhood pride at being able to spell charming, as if that word had significance. A last name maybe. It was worth a try. She opened a new tab and typed into the search engine Dani Charmin Missing Persons.

As the results loaded, she found herself having trouble breathing. The second result was for Danielle “Dani” Teller Missing from Charming, California. She knew before she clicked on the details that she had found herself. It just clicked. The news article stated that Danielle Teller was taken from a park in the middle of the day while her family was there for a group picnic with a club they were a part of. She learned that her parent’s names were John and Gemma Teller and she had two older brothers, Jackson and Thomas. Further research into her family told her that Thomas had died about a year after she was taken due to a heart defect, and that her father had died from injuries received when his motorcycle malfunctioned, causing him to collide with an oncoming semi-truck. She also learned that the club referred to in the article about her kidnapping, the Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club, had several other articles detailing the club’s charitable works, as well as other articles detailing some more allegedly questionable activities.

Public records indicated that Gemma Teller had married a man named Clay Morrow, a fellow member of the Sons of Anarchy and partner in Teller-Morrow Automotive. The business had given her what she had been searching for- a way to contact her family.  
She sat up the rest of the night, absorbing the information. She briefly wondered what she was getting herself into with this motorcycle club but knew despite whatever concerns she ay have that she had to try and reach out to these people. She had to know if they were in fact her family. Part of her felt it instinctually that they were, but the logical part of her brain needed that confirmation.

She sat there until daylight, and after checking the time to make sure it was withing business hours in California she dialed the number for Teller-Morrow.

“Teller-Morrow Automotive.” A female voice answered.

Her throat closed for a moment before she coughed and replied “Uhm, hello, I’m looking for Gemma Morrow?”

“Speaking.” The woman replied.

“I know this is coming at you from out of the blue, but did you have a daughter that was kidnapped 20 years ago?”

There was a pause on the other end. “Who is this?” Gemma demanded rather harshly.

“I think—I think I might be your daughter.”

“My baby girl is dead.” Were the harsh words followed by the sound of the line disconnecting.

‘Well that could have gone better.’ She thought to herself. Taking a few long, deep breath she pressed redial, hoping that giving Gemma a moment to get over the shock would get her better results. 

“Teller-Morrow.” She heard Gemma come on the line again.

“Please, if you just give me a moment I can expl—”

Gemma cut her off. “If you call here again I will hunt you down and make you wish you were dead.” With that the line disconnected again. 

Dani sighed as she tossed her phone down. She knew this was not going to be easy, but she was hoping to catch a break at least once in her life. She had been hoping to have a conversation with her mother, that she might be open to the possibility that she was telling the truth. In retrospect she knew that was naïve. Gemma had lost her daughter to a kidnapper, a son to a heart defect, and a husband to a horrible accident. After all this time she understood why she may have lost hope that her daughter was alive.

Dani knew she needed another plan. She stood up and began packing. It didn’t take her long. She hadn’t accumulated much since she had escaped, if fact, all of her belongings fit comfortably inside a second hand duffel bag. Once she had her belongings packed with her laptop sitting on top of the bag before she zipped it closed she sighed and stared at the bed. She had been up all night and had quite a journey ahead of her. Perhaps she could get a couple hours sleep before the dreams tore her from her rest. When she woke, she was going to find her family. When she woke, she was going to Charming.


	2. Chapter 02

Chapter Two

Dani sat behind the wheel of an old beat-up pick-up truck. She had the windows rolled down and the wind ripped through her long dark blond hair. A pair of brown tinted aviator sunglasses were perched on the bridge of her nose shielding her hazel blue eyes from the sun. She had been driving for the last day three and a half days and was nearing her destination. 

Saying goodbye to Alice had been hard. Alice had been the one to find her on the side of the road by the bus stop. She wasn’t sure how she had gotten on the bus. The last thing she had remembered was dragging herself away from the house that held the worst of her terrors, bleeding and barely able to stand. The next thing she knew she was bandaged and wearing clean clothing and was sitting on a cross country Greyhound bus. She got off at the next stop, unnerved by the fact that she didn’t know where she was or how she got there, and yet she was also extremely relieved that she had made it out. She was also relieved to see that the messenger bag she was able to take from the house when she escaped was still with her, as were its contents.

What she hadn’t taken into account when she got off the bus and watched it drive away was that she was quite literally in the middle of nowhere, standing outside a gas station off a two lane country road surrounded by cornfields. There was a sign indicating that there was a town a few miles up ahead, so she started walking in that direction. She was still severely injured, and she had only managed to travel a few hundred feet before she was limping badly and clutching her side. Another 20 yards had her feeling like she was going to keel over and could not take another step. 

That was when Alice found her. Alice was an older woman, about 70 years old, with short and wildly curly white hair, and as Dani later found out, Alice was a semi-retired veterinarian. Alice had tried to take Dani to the hospital, but Dani had started to panic and begged her not to take her there. She was terrified that they would find her, even if she had managed to get at least some distance away from her captors. Alice must have recognized the desperation in her plea, because instead she took her to a small farmhouse on the outskirts of town. Alice took her into an exam room right off the entry of the house. That was where she told her she was a vet, and while she shouldn’t be treating her, she wasn’t going to traumatize her further by taking her somewhere she obviously didn’t want to go and so she treated her there, changing the dressing on her wounds and giving her some antibiotics. Dani was grateful that the worst of her injuries were on her back and she didn’t have to see the look of horror on Alice’s face when she saw the damage. 

Alice had asked her what happened, but Dani just shook her head and squeezed her eyes shut to hold back the impending flood of tears. Alice just squeezed her hand and told her “It’s ok Hun. You can tell me when you’re ready, or never at all if you like. Just one look at you and I can figure out a good chunk of it.” And the two women just stayed like that for the longest time, Dani sitting on the exam table with Alice squeezing her had while Dani finally let herself cry. When she had cried herself out Alice had shown her to a guestroom and lent her something to sleep in.

A few hours later she woke up screaming, Alice shaking her trying to get her to wake up. Once she was calm, she apologized to Alice who simply gave her a sad smile and assured her it was alright. When she was alone again, she lay there for the rest of the night, afraid to sleep.

The next morning, she woke up and learned from Alice that she was in a small town in central Illinois. Alice had offered her a place to stay as long as she needed, and helped her get her truck, which was registered in Alice’s name, a prepaid cell phone and eventually a laptop to try and find, well, herself. 

She had stayed with Alice those 11 months and when she told her she had found a lead, that she was almost 100% sure, and she needed to go and check it out, Alice smiled broadly, reached out and squeezed her hand and told her that she was proud of her for not giving up, and she would always be there for her if she needed anything. As Dani climbed into the truck, Alice called out one last warning. “Drive careful now, the last thing you need is to be pulled over when you don’t have a license. You’re not used to driving long distances.”

Dani laughed and waved as she drove away. It was true enough; she had only ever driven on the backroads with Alice in the car next to as she was learning to drive. When she reached the interstate, she was beyond nervous but set the cruise control and took a few deep breaths. She stopped regularly to stretch her legs as they would get cramped and to refuel the tuck and get something to eat. 

She would pull into a rest stop at night and get as much sleep as she could allow herself, which rarely amounted to more than 3 hours, and found that she also had to stop for an additional nap in the afternoon to prevent complete exhaustion while driving. 

Finally, as the sun was setting, she rolled past a handmade sign welcoming her to Charming… The name says it all. She chuckled lightly and drove into town. She pulled into a decent-ish looking motel, and checked in, paying cash for the next two weeks.

She ordered a pizza and settled in for the night. She was tempted to go straight to Teller-Morrow tomorrow and talk to Gemma in person, but she wasn’t sure the woman would be any more receptive in person than she was on the phone, and the last thing she wanted was a physical altercation the first time she met her mother.

That wouldn’t work. No, she had to do this by the book. In the morning Dani Teller would be coming back to life.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bright and early the next morning, Dani entered the Charming Police Station. She reminded herself to breathe as she walked up to the counter. 

“Can I help you miss?” the officer behind the desk asked.

“Yes, I’d like to speak to someone regarding the missing persons case of Dani Teller. She went missing in 1989.” Dani replied.

“Do you have information about the case?” the officer questioned.

“Yes. I believe I am Dani Teller.”

The officer stopped and looked up at her. After a moment of silence, he escorted her to a meeting room and asked her to wait. Ten minutes later, an older balding mad walked in followed by a taller, brown-haired officer.

The older man spoke first. “Hello, I’m Chief Wayne Unser, this is my Deputy Chief David Hale.” He extended his hand out to me as his deputy turned to close the door. 

“Do you mind leaving the door open?” Dani asked as she hesitantly reached out her hand and accepted his handshake. “I kind of have a thing about being in enclosed spaces with people I don’t know.” She offered as an explanation.

Chief Unser nodded and Deputy Hale, who left the door halfway open and looked back at me. Dani nodded that that was acceptable.

“I understand you’re here about Danielle Teller.”

“Yes, I am Danielle Teller.” Dani said, a bit more confidently than she had before. 

“Can I ask what makes you believe that you are her?” Deputy Hale asked.

“I was kidnapped around that timeframe and at that age. I have been held against my will until recently and have been trying to find my family ever since.” she explained.

“There are a lot of children who go missing every year, I’m not trying to give you a hard time but I need to ask again, what makes you think you’re Danielle Teller?” Deputy Hale pressed. 

Dani sighed. “I knew my name. I still know my name. I admit that I was a bit fuzzy on some of the details, I must have looked through hundreds of news articles and police reports regarding missing children, but when I found this case, things just clicked, I had—like flashes of memories—or something come at me. Other than that, the only proof I have is me. I have a birthmark on my left calf shaped like a fish, surely you have a list of distinctive characteristics. I don’t know if I was fingerprinted as a child, but I have my fingerprints, my DNA. I know I have family still in the area. I’ll even pay for the DNA test if the department won’t, but I need to confirm that I’m right. My family needs that confirmation.”

“We’ll get somebody in here to run the tests, sweetheart,” Chief Unser told me, “but we’re going to have to ask you some more questions about where you’ve been, reach out to the Teller family and let them know we are investigating a lead into the case.”

“Uhm—if possible, you may want to contact someone other than Gemma—er, my mother. I tried to reach out to her before I came here, and she didn’t exactly react well.” Dani confessed. “I think she’s going to need the physical proof before she believes it. I don’t want to cause her or anyone else any more stress than necessary during this process.”

Unser nodded. “Sounds like Gemma. Alright, I’m going to make some calls, and get the ball rolling on this. While I’m doing that, Deputy Hale is going to stay with you and ask you some questions.” 

Dani nodded her understanding and watched as he left the room and walked down a corridor to what she assumed was his office before turning her attention to Deputy Hale. “Alright Deputy, what do you want to know?”

“Let’s start at the beginning. Do you remember your kidnapping? Actually being taken, that is?” Hale asked.

“Vaguely. I don’t remember much. I remember being outside. I could feel the sun on my face. I remember it felt like a happy day. Suddenly I’m being lifted up and I feel like I can’t breathe when I try and cry out, the arms around me are squeezing me so tight and there is something covering my mouth, then all I remember is darkness. Though I must tell you I don’t know if this is what actually happened or something I remember from a dream. I have had dreams about that moment, more than once, and it always happens just like that.” Dani told him, taking a few deep breaths to try and keep herself calm. 

“That’s good, thank you.” Hale told her. “You’re doing really well. Now can you tell me do you remember anything about the people who took you, anything about the place where you were taken?”

Dani’s hands started shaking so she clenched her fists to get then to stop. She knew that she was going to have to talk about what happened, but she wasn’t ready. She gulped down another breath as she tried to tell him something, enough to get him to leave her alone at least. “Um, I don’t really remember much after that. I remember darkness. I know I wasn’t with the same people the whole time. I never knew where I was. I was drugged a lot of the time, so a lot of things are kind of fuzzy. I was—they would… I can’t.” She stopped abruptly. 

“It’s ok, you’re safe.” Hale tried to reassure her. “When you say you weren’t with the same people can you tell me more about that”

“I, uh, was in different places over the years, there were different people that were with me. I remember the voices changing, the faces too.” Dani gasped and squeezed her eyes shut as she tried to push the memories away.

“Can you describe any of the faces you remember?” Hale asked

“I can’t.” She gasped. She was hyperventilating at this point. Hale reached out towards her hands as if he were going to touch them. She jerked her hands back and cried out. “Stay away from me.”

“I’m just a little worried your clutching your hands a little too tight there ma’am.” Hale said cautiously. “I understand you’re anxious, I just don’t want you to accidentally hurt yourself. Try and take some slow deep breaths. Can you put your hands flat on the table so we can take a look?”

Dani slowly put her hands back on the table and opened her fists, revealing four angry red crescent shapes on each palm where her fingernails had dug in and broken the skin.

Hale spoke again, softly. “Good, that’s good. Keep concentrating on your breathing. I’m going to get you a glass of water and we will get something to clean up your hands, ok?”

Dani nodded and Hale exited the room, but he didn’t make it far before he ran into Chief Unser. Dani could hear them speaking just outside the door. “Jesus, I leave you alone for five minutes and the girl looks like she’s been terrorized.” She heard Unser tell Hale.

“I was trying to get some basic details about her abduction and kidnappers, and she had a panic attack.” Hale defended, glancing into the room at Dani and pulling Unser further from the room. She couldn’t hear them as well though she could still pick up a few things here and there as she sat there and counted as she breathed in and then out. “…PTSD?...” “..possibility it’s her…” “…call into Jax…” “…possible human trafficking…” 

At that she tuned out the rest of the conversation, focusing solely on returning her breathing to normal, closing her eyes as she did so. She had made it this far and she had not broken. She had to keep her shit together. She had not come this far to break now. She slowly regained control over herself and opened her eyes just in time to see Unser walking back unto the room with a glass of water and a first aid kit, without Hale. 

He set the water down in front of her and opened the first aid kit. “Sorry about that sweetheart. Can I help you get your hands bandaged up?”

Dani shook her head “I can do it.” She said shortly. 

Unser nodded and handed her an antibacterial wipe and opened two precut gauze pads, and tore a few pieces of tape to hold them in place and set the items in front of her as she cleaned and dressed the small cuts on her palms.

When she was finished Unser told her that they had spoken enough for today, they would need to speak again soon but for now he was going to take her to get her fingerprints taken and to collect a DNA sample. When that was finished, he asked where she was staying. She gave him her room number and name of her motel, sharing that she had the room for two weeks for now. Unser was putting a rush on her samples and was hoping to have the results back in the next 48-72 hours, walked her to the door of the station and told her they would be in touch soon. 

Dani walked down the street for about a block to where she parked her truck, climbing in and slamming the truck door. She leaned her head back against the headrest and closed her eyes for a moment before driving off to hole herself away in her hotel room for the next few days.


	3. Chapter 03

Chapter Three

After Dani returned to her hotel room, she checked in with Alice, let her know she was safe, had spoken to the police, and would know more soon. She then went to fill up her ice bucket and grabbed a few cans of pop from the vending machine before returning to her room, where she stayed for the next two days, fueling herself with reheated leftover pizza and caffeine. 

The next day, Chief Unser had called her the next day to ask if she was feeling up to answering some more questions. She declined and did her best to explain that she reacted like she did in the station any time she thought too much about what she had experienced, let alone tried to speak about it. Unser was understanding, though he did tell her that the more information they could get from her, the more likely they would be to arrest those who had hurt her. He also offered to arrange for her to speak with a therapist, someone to help her work through and discuss things on her terms. Dani thanked him and asked to think about it and Unser agreed, assuring he would be in contact with her when he had the results from DNA testing. 

Dani didn’t hear from him the rest of the day, or the next day until the evening. They had compared her DNA to Jackson Teller and it was confirmed that they were full siblings. She was, in fact, Danielle Teller. Dani let out a sigh of relief and asked what would happen next. Unser asked her to come to the station the following morning so they could go over a few things, and he would be arranging for her to meet her family as well. She agreed and wished him a good night. Dani sat there bouncing her leg as waves of joy and relief ran over her. She shed a few tears of happiness and allowed a rare smile. She flung herself back on her bed and sighed. “Finally.” She whispered to herself. Then she groaned. This was going to be an exceedingly long night.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next morning had Dani practically vibrating with nervous energy. She inspected herself in the mirror wanting to give a good impression. She stood tall and squared her shoulders, drawing herself to her full height of 5’9”. She had pulled the top half of her hair back into a braid, letting the lower half flow into long waves. Her complexion was clear, her skin pale. She applied some mascara to her lashes and admired her high cheekbones as she added a hint of blush to the apples of her cheeks to give her face a bit of color. Some tinted lip gloss finished her off and she turned her attention to her outfit. It was the nicest one in her limited wardrobe. She was wearing a pair of fitted white capri jeans, a heather gray racerback tank and lightweight coral and white striped Henley tee shirt with long sleeves. She wrapped a gauzy, white and floral scarf around her neck and slipped on a pair of coral flats. She thought the outfit looked casual but nice and appreciated the feeling of security the layers gave her, as well as knowing that it covered all her scarring.   
She gave herself a nod, grabbed her keys and a brown leather messenger bag she used as a purse and walked out the door. She drove herself towards the police station, parking a block away again and made the short walk to her destination. 

Chief Unser was waiting for her just inside and ushered her into the same room she had been in on her first visit to the station, leaving the door wide open. “How you doing today sweetheart?” he asked as he gestured for Dani to take a seat.

“I’m good. Nervous, anxious to see my mother and brother, but really good.” Dani replied as she settled herself into the chair. “Mostly I’m wondering what happens now.”

“Well, your case is officially being reopened. When you were kidnapped, that automatically triggered an FBI investigation. They investigate all missing children’s cases. My guess is sooner rather than later, they will be here, wanting to ask you some questions and I have a feeling their gonna be a bit pushier when it comes to getting some answers.”

“Why haven’t you? Been pushy, I mean.”

“This ain’t just an investigation for me kid. I’ve known your family a long time. Knew you since you were just a babe. That’s how it is in a town like this.”

Dani just nodded as she absorbed the information. 

Unser coughed before he continued. “Now I know what you been through isn’t easy for you to talk about. Based on what happened the other day, I’d say it’s a good bet you’ve got post traumatic stress. Now I’m not saying you have to talk about what you went through, but if you see a psychiatrist and tell them what happens when you try and talk about it, you can probably get a diagnosis for PTSD, and the feds wont be able to push so hard for answers.”

“Thank you. I’ll look into that.” Dani said, grateful for the information.

“While you’re looking into things, you’re gonna want to look into getting a lawyer. There’s gonna be some paperwork and processes you’ll need to go through to, well bring you back to life, so to speak.”

“Back to life?” Dani asked, puzzled.

“Christ.” Unser muttered to himself. “Look, when you went missing, it tore your ma up real bad. After you had been gone seven years, she had you declared legally dead.”

“You’ve got to be shitting me.” Dani’s tone was full of surprise and hurt, and those emotions read clearly across her face.

Unser gave her a sympathetic smile. “She really thought you were gone, kiddo.”

“Clearly she was wrong.” Dany retorted somewhat bitterly. “I’m sorry, this is just a lot to process. Do you think I could get a few minutes alone?”

“Sure thing. You want something to drink or anything?”

“Maybe some coffee?”

“How you take it?”

“Black, with sugar.”

“How much?”

“More than I should.”

Unser chuckled and nodded. “You still wanting to meet your family today? I know I just threw a lot at you.”

“I still want to.”

“They’re supposed to be coming in about 45 minutes. That gonna be enough time for you?”

Dani nodded. Unser left the room, returning a moment later with a cup of coffee, a handful of sugar packets and a coffee stirrer.

Once he was gone again, Dani busied herself with fixing her coffee, and took a sip of the now bittersweet liquid and sighed. She set the cup down on the table and buried her face in her hands. 

“What the actual fuck…” She whispered to herself. Dead? She was dead? Ironic considering how hard she had clung to life, to the possibility of one day being free and reunited with her family. To learn that her mother had for all intents and purposes given up on her stung more than she could express. On some level she understood that some parents could not take having a child disappear and never know what happened to them. Some people needed that closure. She had always imagined her mother to be in the other group though. She imagined her mother to leave no stone unturned, to never give hope, never stop searching. 

She knew she was not going to come to terms with this in the next 45 minutes, but she had to find a way to gain control over these emotions. She had to reign them in, put them in a box and set them aside—for now at least. She didn’t want anything to cast a shadow on her reunion with her family. She took another sip of her coffee, the taste of the liquid and the warmth of the cup in her hand had a calming effect. She stared into the darkness of her beverage and allowed herself to bring forward the anticipation of what was about to happen and ignored the lingering doubts in the back of her mind. She sat there, drinking her coffee, staring into her cup until it was gone. 

Unser came and knocked on the door frame to get her attention. “You ready sweetheart?” he asked her

“They’re here?” Dani asked. Unser nodded and she rose and walked shakily towards him. When she reached the doorway she looked out into the station and spotted two men in leather and brunette woman with blond streaks in her hair. “Is that them?” She asked and again Unser nodded and lifted his hand to waive them over. 

The younger of the two men was the first to reach them and stood a few feet in front of Dani. He was a few years older than her, tall, with blond hair that reached the collar of his plaid shirt and a neatly groomed beard. When she looked into his eyes she was struck with a memory of a boy, maybe eight or nine years old with those same eyes, sitting with me in the dark, arm around my shoulder as heavy rain beat against a window while bolts of lightning and thunder flashed and boomed, as he told a much younger version of herself she was safe.

As she brought herself back to the present the man started to speak. “Hey there. I don’t know if you know who I am but—”

“You’re Jax.” She cut him off, speaking softly. “I remember you. Well, sort of. I remember you used to take care of me during thunderstorms.”

She could see his eyes swimming with emotion and his voice was thick with it when he spoke. “Yeah, I did.”

They stood there for another few seconds just staring, and then in a flash Dani stepped forward and wrapper her arms around her brother, who quickly embraced her back as she buried her face into Jax’s chest and began to cry. Jax brought one had up to the back of her head, holding her in place while the other was rubbing her upper back in small circles. 

She felt him kiss the top of her head and began to speak softly to her. “I’m so sorry Dani, Darlin. It’s ok now, you’re home now. You’re safe. I promise I won’t let anything happen to you again.”

Dani nodded and willed herself to stop crying. She was a little shocked when she embraced Jax. She hadn’t had any physical contact with anyone aside from a handshake or when Alice would squeeze her hand. She had never even hugged Alice. With Jax though, instinct kicked in and she just knew that she was safe with him, that he would do everything he could to keep her safe from thunderstorms and more. Dani took a small step back and looked up at Jax, giving him a small smile. She started to reach up to brush the tears from her face, but Jax stopped her, reached into his pocket and gave her a bandana-style handkerchief. She dabbed it under her eyes and looked back up at him as he turned them to face the brunette woman. 

“You know who this is?” Jax asked.

Dani nodded and took a step forward. “Hi Mom,” she said awkwardly.

“Hey baby.” Gemma said stepping forward and wrapping Dani in a fiercely tight hug, but Dani barely had time to respond before Gemma pulled back.

“I’m sorry about the phone calls.” Dani told her. “I didn’t know how to explain.”

“It’s alright. I should have heard you out. But you did good. You found your way here.”

The interaction with Gemma was feeling a bit strained and Dani reached back with her left hand and grasped Jax’s arm. The older man moved to stand next to Gemma and   
extended his hand.

“Clay Morrow. I’m Gemma’s husband. I guess that makes me your stepdad.” Dani reached out with her right hand to shake his, but as he clasped his hand in hers, he leaned forward. Dani tensed every muscle in her body and squeezed her hand that was still clutching Jax’s arm, but held still as Clay kissed her cheek, released her hand and stepped back. 

Only then did she force herself to relax and loosened her hold on Jax’s arm. 

There was an awkward moment of silence between the group before Clay spoke again. “Gemma, er your mom here, put together a little welcome barbecue for you back at the house if you’re up for it.”

Dani glanced at Jax who gave her a nod of encouragement. “Yeah sure,” she replied. “Sound ok. Better than standing in the middle of a police station for sure.”

Everyone chuckled and they made their way outside. Jax told Gemma and Clay to go ahead and meet them at the house, and they nodded as they walked towards the parking lot. 

“You doing ok?” Jax asked Dani. She nodded. “Good. You mind if I get this back then?” He asked gesturing to his arm that she was still holding. 

“Sorry.” Dani said sheepishly as she looked up at him embarrassed.

“It’s all good, little sister.” He told her. “So where are you parked?”

“My truck is down the block.”

“Why’d you park down there?”

“Um, I don’t technically have a license to drive. I didn’t want to risk it by flaunting that in front of the police station. “

Jax laughed. “Do you want me to give you a ride over to Mom’s on my bike?” he offered.

“Honestly, Id really like to, but I’ve never been on a motorcycle before. I’m a bit overwhelmed and in my head at the moment. I’d like to remember and enjoy my first motorcycle ride. Maybe later?” Dani asked. 

Jax nodded. “Want me to go with you in your truck then? If that’s how you’re feeling then maybe you shouldn’t be driving right now. Especially without a license.” He smirked down at me.

Dani laughed but nodded, and they began walking towards her truck. When they got there Jax didn’t look too impressed. “This is your truck?” He asked.

Dani made a face at Jax and replied “Yes this is my truck. It’s done ok by me so far. I just drove it 2000 miles to get here and made it just fine.”

“Well tomorrow I’d like you to bring it by the shop, get you an oil change and I want to look this thing over and make sure it wont give you any problems. Now fork over those keys.”

“Hang on a sec, I’m just soaking up this protective older brother moment.” She said before fishing her keys out of her bag. 

“Get used to it, little sister,” Dani held the keys out in her open palm and as Jax took them from her, his other had come up to hold her hand open. “What’s this?” He asked as he ran his fingers over the crescent shaped scabs from the cuts that hadn’t completely healed from the other day. 

“Oh, um, when I first got to town and the deputy was asking me about where I had been and what happened while I was, um, kidnapped. I guess I had, I don’t know, a panic attack or something. I guess I clenched my fists so tightly that my fingernails…” Dani trailed off for a moment. “I didn’t even know I was doing it until the deputy pointed it out.” Dani glanced up into Jax’s concerned gaze. “I’m ok.” She told him.

Jax brought her hand up and kissed her palm before releasing it and opened her car door. She climbed in and Jax shut the door, walking around to the drivers’ side before getting in and starting the truck. He glanced at his sister before putting the truck in gear and noticed she was watching him with a strange expression on her face. “What is it?”

“It’s just—you. Being concerned over basically a scratch, helping me into the truck, wanting to make sure it’s safe to drive. I’m not used to having someone care about me like that. I know I just made a joke about it, but it means a lot… to have someone care.”

“Like I said, get used to it.” Jax replied while giving her a sad sort of smile, putting the car in gear and driving off.

On the ride, Dani told Jax about her conversation with Unser and his suggestion about seeing a psychiatrist for PTSD, and about needing a lawyer to bring her back to life.

“The club has a lawyer we keep on retainer. I’ll call the office tomorrow to get the ball rolling on that. As for the rest of it, I don’t know much about psychiatry, but if it will keep the feds off your back, give you some time to figure out how to deal with all this, it might not be a bad idea.” Jax advised.

Dani nodded. “Do you know why Gemma did it? Had me declared dead, I mean?”

Jax shook his head. “I never really understood it, but she said she needed to do it. I can tell you she was a wreck. Maybe you should talk to her about it.”

“Maybe. I don’t know, things seemed kind of tense with me and Gemma back there. I think maybe I should give us some time to get used to each other before I ask her. I’m worried if I ask her about it now it might come out wrong and I don’t want her to think I’m accusing or attacking her.” 

Jax nodded. “I get it,” he told her.

“Yeah. So anyway, what am I getting myself into with this barbecue? How many people are going to be there, who are they, how do we know them?” Dani asked.

“Pretty much it will be my brothers from my MC, and some of their families.” Jax informed her.

“What about you? Is there a sister-in-law or some nieces or nephews I’ll be meeting?” Dana questioned.

“Nah. Technically I’m married, but we are getting divorced. We tried to reconcile a while back, things didn’t work out but Wendy got pregnant while we were trying to make things work, so in a few months you will be an aunt.”

“I don’t know whether to offer my condolences on getting divorced or congratulations on the baby.” Dana said.

“Don’t worry about it, we’re here anyway.” Jax said as he pulled along side a house with a few cars and even more motorcycles parked out front. 

“Can I ask you a favor?” Dani asked Jax. “Can you stay close by me? I just- I don’t do well around new people and if they get too close, I might accidentally freak out and I don’t want that. I trust you and I think I’d feel a lot better if you were nearby.” She confessed. 

“I’ll be right here.” He said as he reached over and gave her hand a squeeze. “Now get out of the truck. We have a party to get to.”

They stepped out of the truck and Jax guided her inside. There were a couple people in the living room, but Jax just nodded at them and led them into the kitchen.

“Hey Ma, we made it.” Jax said as he kissed Gemma’s cheek. 

“Everything ok?” Gemma asked Jax. 

Jax glanced at me them looked back to Gemma. “Yeah, we’re all good.”

“Uhm, thank you, for putting all this together.” Dani said gesturing to all the food prep going on. “Is there anything I can help with?” she asked.

Gemma gave her a brief smile, “No sweetie, not this time. You are the guest of honor today. Why don’t you get your brother to take you outside and introduce you around?” 

Jax nodded and pulled her away. “That was a good way to get Gemma to warm up to you, offering to help out like that. She’s big on stuff like that.” He told her as he put his arm around her shoulder and guided her outside. 

“Jackie Boy!” a man with salt and pepper hair and a Scottish accent called out as he approached the pair. As he came closer, she noticed a scar on either side of his face. “Ah, and this pretty thing here must be the reason for the celebration.” He said as he smiled at Dani kindly.

“Sure is.” Jax said. “Dani, meet Chibs, Chibs meet my sister, Dani.”

“Aye, welcome home lass!” Chibs told her. Dani was somewhat prepared, but she still tensed up for a moment when Chibs leaned forward and gave her a quick peck on her cheek.

“Thank you. I am glad to be home.” Dani told him with a smile. 

“I’ll let you get acquainted with the rest of this brood, but you come find me later and I’ll fill yer head with all the embarrassing stories about your brother here.” Chibs gave her a wink and with a pat to Jax’s back headed inside. 

Jax looked around and started guiding her over to the far corner of the yard. “I’m going to introduce you to my best friend since before you were born, you might remember him a little bit, he was always around when we were growing up.” He told her as he gestured to a man who could only be referred to as a giant. The man appeared to be Jax’s age and was wearing a beanie and had a rather impressive beard. He had broad shoulders and muscular arms, and Dani knew she would typically be afraid of a man like him, but she wasn’t She was intrigued. 

She looked up at her brother and joked. “So, your best friend is a sasquatch?”

Jax let out a loud laugh, alerting his friend to our presence. “Dani, this is Opie Winston, the sasquatch.” He introduced, causing Opie to chuckle and Dani to blush as she nudged Jax   
with her elbow.

“Welcome home Dani girl.” Opie said offering his hand to her. She took it and when she did something happened. It was as if all her senses were suddenly twice as strong. Every nerve ending in her hand was alive as he held her soft hand with his rough calloused one. He smelled of leather, smoke, and something that made her think of the forest. 

“I’m sorry I don’t remember you,” she paused as she thought for a moment, “but for some reason I do remember a stuffed bear, or something, named Opie.”  
Both Jax and Opie laughed. “You had one.” Opie told her. “I got you that bear for your birthday and you so cleverly named it after me.”

“Clearly, I was a creative genius.” She said. “Though not as creative as this group you hang around. Chibs, Opie. Your friends have some interesting names Jax.” She said. 

“We use a lot of nicknames around here.” Jax explained, “ Chibs’ real name is Phillip, and Opie here was christened Harry.”

Both men looked at her strangely as she started to giggle. “I’m sorry, it’s not really all that funny but as soon as you said his real name was Harry all I could think is ‘I wonder if his parents knew how appropriate that name would be.’” She started giggling again. 

Jax smiled broadly at the sound of his sister’s laughter, and he vowed to himself to make her laugh like that more often. He hadn’t seen her so at ease all day. Opie just chuckled and shook his head. 

“Cute,” was all Opie said as she regained her composure. 

“You ready to meet the rest of the party goers?” Jax asked her. 

Dani straightened her spine and looked at her brother. “Bring it on.” She said and they strolled towards the middle of the yard arm in arm, with Opie just a step behind.


	4. Chapter 04

Chapter 04

Jax led Dani over to a group of four men. As they approached the group, Dani instinctively tightened her grip on her brothers’ arm. She thought she had done ok meeting people one on one, but she could feel her nerves getting the best of her. She glanced up at Jax, who must have seen the worry in her eyes because he leaned in and quietly said “You got this.” Dani nodded as they reached the group.

“Hey fellas,” Jax greeted. “Everyone meet Dani. Dani, this is Bobby Elvis, Tig, Juice, and this is Opie’s pop, Piney.”

Piney was the first to step forward. “Welcome home, baby girl.” Dani tensed up again but took his offered hand and allowed him to greet her with a kiss to the cheek. The others all greeted her in a similar fashion, but she had noticed that, while she had Jax on her left, still holding onto his arm, that Opie had stood on her right, not too close to upset her, but close enough and in a way that made the others keep a bit more distance when they greeted her. Dani looked his way for a moment to try and get a read on him when he caught her gaze for the briefest second. He just shrugged and gave her a small smirk.

“It’s great to meet you all.” Dani said, turning her attention back to the men. She was about to speak further when she noticed Gemma along with a couple other women coming outside with dishes of food in their hands as Gemma called everyone to come and sit at the long table that had been set up in the yard. 

Clay took a spot at the head of the table, with Gemma on one side of him and Jax took the seat on the other side of him across from his mother. Dani took the chair next to Jax and wasn’t really surprised when she looked to find Opie had claimed the seat to her right. Dani’s eyes widened when she saw all the food spread across the table. There were grilled steaks, burgers, hot dogs, kabobs, salads, fruits, and side dishes galore. Everyone took a few minutes to fill their plates and glasses as dishes and drinks were passed around the table. Dani’s glass had been filled with lemonade and her plate loaded with a cheeseburger, grilled asparagus, corn on the cob, some potato salad, a cold pasta dish, and some sliced cantaloupe. She had to turn down several other dishes that were offered to her if for no other reason than there was no more room on her plate. 

Once everyone had been served, Clay stood and placed one hand on Gemma’s shoulder and raised his glass with the other. “I just want to thank everyone for coming out today and celebrating with us. Dani, you coming home is like a miracle for your mother, Jax, hell, for all of us. I want you to think of every person at this table as family. You need anything, you let us know. Here’s to our family being hole again.” Cheers of approval rang from the table as glasses clinked. 

Dani’s face flushed with embarrassment at the attention but could not help smiling and saying a quiet “Thank you.”

Everyone settled down to their meals and broke off into individual conversations. Dani sat quietly while she ate, listening to the others talk and joke around her. She realized as she sat there that this was the first time she could remember being truly content. Of course, she should have known that feeling would not last long. Opie leaned back and reached behind her to push Jax’s shoulder as the two had been joking back and forth. Dani panicked as she felt the movement behind her, too close for comfort, and she flinched wildly, dropping her fork. Jax reached for her to try and calm her and she flinched again, causing Jax to jerk back. Dani sat there frozen, with her eyes squeezed shut. She could feel all eyes on her as silence fell across the table. 

“Breathe, Dani.” Jax told her softly. Dani let out the breath she did not know she was holding and sucked in a deep breath of fresh air, and slowly forced herself to relax her muscles as she opened her eyes. She was looking down into her lap but did not dare look up to see what she was sure would be looks of pity of the faces of those around her.   
“I’m sorry.” Opie spoke to her in a low gravelly voice. 

Dani shook her head. “N-no, it’s uh, it’s not your fault. It’s me.” Dani replied.

No one else had spoken yet, she could tell they were all still watching her, so she picked her fork up from the table, stabbed a piece of cantaloupe and bit into it. She swallowed the fruit, then forced herself to look up and glared at everyone around the table. “For Christ’s sake, eat your fucking food.” She said sharply. That seemed to have snapped the tension around them and everyone slowly returned to their meals and conversations.

“Baby girl,” Tig, who was across the table from her. “What are your plans now that you’re home?” He asked Dani.

“Uhm, well tomorrow Jax was gonna help me with a couple things. I only reserved my room at the motel for two weeks, so I figure tomorrow I’ll also start looking into finding some place to rent or something. I also want to investigate what I need to know to get my GED so I can start studying. That’s about all that’s on my list at the moment.”

“You gonna need help with expenses for any of that?” Clay asked.

Dani shook her head. “No. I’ve got a little money saved up that should cover me for a while. Alice, the, uh, lady who found me, helped me, she insisted on giving me money for helping her on her farm and with the animals she took care of.”

“What getting a job here?” Gemma asked.

“I’m not really qualified for much, so I figure any job I can get would have working with the public, and well, let’s just say that I’m a bit socially awkward for the time being. Once I get my GED, there are jobs I can get working remote, like a phone answering service or customer service lines, stuff like that. Figure maybe I can volunteer at an animal shelter or something, since I’m used to helping Alice, thought that might be a good way to start, I guess,” explained Dani.

The rest of the meal was uneventful, and later, once they were in the truck on their way back to get Jax’s bike Dani turned to her brother and asked “So aside from what happened at the dinner table, how did I do back there? Be honest. I think it went ok, everyone was really nice, though I didn’t expect a bunch of big burly bikers to be so touchy feely. I know I was a bit tense-“

“A bit tense?” Jax scoffed. “You sure you want me to be honest here?” When Dani nodded, he continued. “Dani girl, you were way more than a bit tense. The dinner table was not the only time you flinched. Every person you met, every time someone came a bit too close you flinched. Not like at the table but we all saw it. But we also saw you push past that instinct to flinch away and let us show you that we care. So I’d say you did pretty damn good back there. You keep doing that; you’ll be all right.”

Jax stopped the truck outside the police station and when Jax got out of the vehicle he turned towards Dani as she slid across the bench into the driver’s seat. “I’ll follow you back to the motel.” She started to tell him he didn’t have to, but he just looked at her, so she nodded and waited until she heard the rumbling of the motorcycle engine before heading driving to the motel. 

Once there, Jax walked her to her room, made sure everything was ok and told her he would meet her here tomorrow morning to show her the way to Teller-Morrow. When he left, Dani locked the door, leaned against it, and sighed. She dropped her bag in her chair by the bed, kicked off her shoes and took the three steps towards the bed before collapsing on it. She felt overwhelmed by the emotions of the day, the sudden realization of how monumental this day was for her and she simply felt exhausted. She didn’t bother to get undressed, just pulled the covers over her and closed her eyes. She only had time to wish for a decent night’s sleep before she was pulled under. 

_____________________________________________________

Dani gasped as she startled awake. She was covered in sweat as she sat there trying to control her breathing. She really hoped that she would not always wake up this way, though she was surprised and grateful to see that she had actually slept for a full eight hours. She still had plenty of time before Jax was supposed to meet her so she took her time taking a long shower and dressed in a pair of bermuda jean shorts, a white tank top and thin blue pullover sweater. She pulled her hair into a long french braid and sat on the edge of the bed, turning on the television to keep her mind occupied while she waited. 

Before too long she heard a motorcycle coming near, the engine cut off and she waited until the knock came at her door. She double checked through the peephole before opening the door and greeting her brother. “You know, you could have just given me directions to the garage.” She told him.

“This way I can make sure you get there in one piece,” he teased. She grabbed her things and jumped in the truck, following Jax. It was a short trip, only a few miles away. When they arrived, he took her keys from her and told her he was going to get started on her oil change and look at the engine. He offered for her to wait in the office, but she gestured instead to a picnic table to the side of the building saying she would rather get some sunshine. 

Dani got herself settled at the table and pulled out a book to read while she waited. Several chapters later, she looked up to see Jax and Opie standing at the corner of the garage, talking and glancing her way periodically. She watched them talk for a few minutes before heading her way.

Opie nodded at her in greeting as they both sat down across from her. 

“So how’s my truck?” Dani asked.

“I’ve got the prospect finishing up the oil change now. I looked under the hood, and I admit it runs better than it looks.” Jax told her.

“I won’t say I told you so, I’ll just say I appreciate that you were concerned enough to check it out.” Dani said.

“I also talked to Rosen, the clubs’ lawyer, he is going to get the paperwork started to bring you back to the land of the living. He said it was probably going to take a few weeks, maybe more to get you a court date though. He also mentioned that until you were pronounced living, you wouldn’t be able to get an ID or sign any binding contracts…like a lease. Might make it kind of difficult for you to get a place while all this is pending.” Jax reached out and covered Dani’s hand with his, offering a squeeze of support.

Dani groaned. “Well nothing in life has been easy so far, guess I shouldn’t be surprised.”

“I’d offer for you to stay at my place, but I’ve got Wendy staying there with the baby coming and all. I’ve been staying at the clubhouse full time, and I’m not sure you’d like to stay here.” He gestured at the large building that shared the lot with the garage. 

“No that’s probably not the best option. My rooms paid up for a little over a week more right now. I guess I could extend it.” She said, thinking out loud. 

Jax shook his head. “I don’t like the idea of you staying there that long, I’d like to see you someplace a bit safer, more protected. Ope and I were talking and well…” Jax looked towards Opie.

“Donna, my ex-wife, she and I got divorced a few months back. She took the kids and moved a few hours away to be near her parents. I’ve got the whole house to myself. There’s a guest bedroom on the opposite side of the house as mine, got its own bathroom. You’d have plenty of space to yourself.” Opie told her. 

Dani was catching on to what they were saying. “Oh!, That’s-that’s kind of you to offer, but I was hoping to get a place on my own. I’m not sure I’d make the best roommate. I don’t sleep much, and I’ve got a lot of shit going on in my head. I’m not sure..”

“Look, I spend half my time here anyway,“ Opie said, “so you’d have the place to yourself a lot, and you’d be doing me a favor really. It’d be nice to know someone’s looking after the place, keeping up with things.”

“Plus,” Jax interjected, “I’d feel better knowing there was someone there to look out for you sometimes. You know I’ll be checking in on you no matter what, but there’s no one I trust more to keep you safe when I’m not around than this guy.” He patted Opie on the back. 

Dani sat there thinking for a moment, looking back and forth between the two. “I suppose we could give it a try,” she said hesitantly. “If it doesn’t work I can always look onto some other options.”

Jax and Opie both smiled, looking relieved. “So I’m thinking maybe you pack up tonight and we get you moved into Ope’s place tomorrow. You might be able to get some of your money back from the motel for checking out early.” Jax suggested.

Dani nodded. “I guess that sounds ok. I should be headed out. I need to get some lunch and I need to make some calls, find a doctor so I can schedule that appointment.”

“Why don’t you let me take you for your first ride on my bike? I’ll take you to get some lunch and we can ride around for a bit.” Jax offered. 

“Sure, that sounds good.” Dani said, a bit nervously. 

They said bye to Opie and walked towards Jax’s motorcycle. Jax gave Dani his helmet as he climbed on the bike. Dani put on the helmet, fastening the strap, and climbed on behind him. Jax pointed out the pegs where she could put her feet.

“You ready Dani girl?” Jax turned to ask her as the engine roared to life. Dani nodded and squealed with laughter as they sped out of the lot.


	5. Chapter 05

Chapter 05

The next morning, Dani sat on a metal chair outside her now vacant motel room, reading but her mind was wandering to the events of the previous day. She had loved riding around with Jax on his motorcycle yesterday. The wind roaring around them, the open roads, the feeling of freedom. She thought it must be what flying felt like. When she told Jax this he smiled and nodded in his approval. They’d eaten at a small diner, talking and getting to know each other for a while before Jax took her back to the garage, and then proceeded to follow her back to the motel. 

When he told her he and Opie would be by tomorrow to show her the way to Opie’s place she stopped him.

“You ever gonna let me go from point A to point B without an escort?” Dani asked. 

“Just looking out for ya, Dani girl.” Jax told her.

“You know that I’ll be ok without one, right?” When he didn’t say anything and avoided eye contact, Dani pressed further. “Jax? I’m here now, I’m not going anywhere. I won’t disappear.”

“But you did.” Jax said simply as he finally looked at her. That haunted look in his eyes and what he did not say with those three words told her everything he needed to know.

“You’re right, I did. I have no idea what that was like for you, on your end. Sometime when you’re up for it, I want you to know you can talk to me about that. I want to know. But I need you to listen to me Jax. What happened, was not your fault. I’m here now, slightly messed up, but still relatively sane, I think. I’m strong, Jax. I’m a fighter, maybe not in an ass-kicking way, but I’m smart, and I can handle my shit Jax.”

Jax nodded and put a hand on her shoulder. “You gotta give a little time to be overprotective, get it out of my system. I know you’re tough, but you gotta know something too. Just because you can handle your shit, doesn’t mean you have to do it alone. We’re family, Darlin’. You gotta let me share some of the load. That’s what we do. He sighed. “Me wanting eyes on you—not just ‘cause you were taken from us. Not everyone is a fan of the club. I don’t want anyone to take it out on you because you are affiliated with us.”

“Who might take it out me?” she asked.

“Deputy Hale for one. He’s out for any way to nail the club that he can find. He might hassle you because of us. Which brings me to my next point. He catches you driving without a license, he’s gonna be a hard ass about it. Once we get you over to Ope’s tomorrow I don’t think you should be driving until we can make it legal, unless it’s an emergency. You gotta go someplace, let me take you, or Opie, or Mom. Just humor me on this and once you got your license, I’ll promise to ease up on the overprotectiveness.”

Dani groaned, then sighed. “Fine. But if I’m waiting around for hours for a ride with no good reason and there’s some place I’ve got to go, then I’m going. I’ve got like a million more questions rolling around inside my head now. I’m not gonna ask them, not today. I don’t know if I even want answers to half the questions I’ve got now.” Dani gave Jax a hug. 

“I better get inside, I still need to try and make that appointment.”

Jax nodded and watched her unlock the door but called out to her before she went inside. “Dani, you know what you said before goes both ways. When you’re ready, you can talk to me. Eventually, I’m gonna want to know what happened.”

“I know Jax. I’m trying.”

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dani was pulled from her thoughts by the increasingly familiar sound of motorcycle engines approaching. She walked to her truck and had the driver’s door opened when Jax and Opie pulled up. 

“You all checked out?” Jax asked over the sounds of the engines rumbling. Dani nodded as she hopped in the truck and closed the door. “All right, let’s go.”

They pulled out of the motel and drove to a neighborhood about 10 minutes away and they all pulled into the driveway. Dani hopped out of the cap as the guys walked up and peered into the bed of the truck. 

“Where’s your stuff?” Opie asked.

“Right there.” Dani pointed to the black duffel bag.

“One bag? That’s it?” Jax asked.

“It’s a pretty big bag.” Dani defended. “And if it will make you feel better…” she trailed off as she went around to the other side of the cab, opened the passenger door and pulled a brown messenger bag out from under the seat and held it up. “Here, now I have two bags. Is that better?” Opie grabbed her duffel bag as Jax came around and took the messenger bag from her with a look. Dani sighed. “I haven’t had a lot of time to accumulate a lot of possessions. I don’t need much, ok?”

Jax put an arm around her as they started walking towards the house. “You know Gemma’s going to want to take you shopping when she finds out this is all you got. I’m a simple guy, but you need more shit than this.”

“Ok, I’ll give her a call and set something up.” Dani said with resignation. “Do some mother-daughter bonding. Won’t be awkward at all.” Jax laughed and nudged her forward to where Opie was standing with door open. 

Opie gave her an awkward smile and gestured for her to go inside. “Welcome home, I guess.” He said.

Dani nodded and bit back a smile at his awkwardness as she entered the house. 

“Tour’s gonna be pretty quick.” Opie said as he and Jax came in behind her. “We got the living room here. “ The room consisted of an L shaped sofa, reclining chair and a fairly large TV mounted on the wall. “Dining table, kitchen though there.” He gestured toward a wide entry way where I could see the table and part of the kitchen. Off the dining area, she could see a glass door that accessed what looked like a deck off the back yard. “My room and the kid’s rooms are down this hallway.” He gestured towards a hallway on one end of the house. “Kids haven’t been here since Donna and I split, she’s got me going to her to see the kids, doesn’t want them here. Not sure if or when that’s gonna change.” Dani could sense a bit of sadness at the situation with his kids. 

“I’m sorry.” She said

“It is what it is.” Was Opie’s reply. “Moving on with the tour—” He gestured to a short hallway om the other side of the house.”—You got access to the garage, laundry closet, and the guest room. Your room now.” As he said this he opened a door to the room and put her bag on the bed. Dani entered the room with Jax right behind her as she took a moment to look around. There was a queen size bed with a nightstand on either side, a dresser with a mirror and a chest of drawers, and chair with a footstool in front of a window looking out on the back yard.

There was an average sized closet and an attached bathroom. The room was painted a light blue-gray color and the bed was made with white sheets and a blue and white checkered quilt. 

“It’s nice,” she said with a small smile. “Thank you for letting me stay here.” She took the messenger bag with Jax and set it on the bed with her other bag. “Should we talk about rent?” She asked.

Opie shook his head. “You’re my best friends’ sister. I wouldn’t charge him. I can’t charge you.” 

“You have to let me pay something. Let me take over some of the utilities, and I’ll cover all the groceries. I won’t feel comfortable staying if I don’t pay something.” Dani argued. 

“I can’t let you cover all the groceries; us sasquatches eat a lot.” Dani flushed at the Opie’s teasing. “I’ll front some money each month for groceries, if the food bills are more than that, you can cover the extra, and you can cover the electric bill.” Opie offered.

“And the water bill.” Dani countered, narrowing her gaze at the pair of men. 

She watched as they traded glances, Jax shrugged and Opie sighed. “Deal.”

Opie extended his hand to seal the deal, and when Dani took it she felt the same rush she had the had the other day as all of her senses came alive. She looked into his dark eyes to try and get a clue if he was experiencing the same thing, and she could see in them humor, friendship, and something mysterious that she could not pinpoint. 

She withdrew her hand and shrugged nervously. “So, uhm what do you have in those kitchen cupboards out there? I know its early, but I was thinking that maybe later I could make the three of us some dinner.”

“Dinner sounds good.” Opie said. “Cupboards are pretty bare, but we can make a run to the store a little later. You take some time, settle in here and let me know when you are ready to go. I’ll be out in the living room.” 

Opie left the room and Jax walked over to the dresser and leaned against it. “You like the space?” Jax asked and Dani nodded. “Good. So, Opie and I talked and were thinking maybe I should crash here for the first night or so, just to make sure everything goes ok. I got some stuff I got to handle this afternoon; I’ll be gone for a while. You gonna be ok running to the store, just you and Ope?”

“I think we will be ok.” Dani said.

“You get a chance to make that appointment?”

“Yeah, Monday at 11AM, doctor’s office is at a hospital, um it’s St. Thomas’s.”

“I’ll be here to take you.”

Dani nodded in agreement.

“And you’ll call Gemma today? Set up that mother-daughter shopping trip?” When Dani nodded again, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a money clip, separated a handful of large bills and pressed them into Dani’s hand. “I want you to take this. Make sure you get everything you need. Maybe even get some stuff you don’t need, that you just want.”

“Jax, I have money—” Dani started to say but Jax cut her off. 

“You have money, I know. Now you have some more. Consider it a partial payment towards years of birthday and Christmas presents.” Jax said.

“What are the odds of me convincing you to take this back?” Dani asked.

“Non-existent.” Jax told her. 

“Fine,” she grumbled, stuffing the money in her pocket. “Now get out of here, Let me unpack, go take care of your stuff. I’ll see you at dinner. I’ma thinkin spaghetti.” She said the last bit in a bad Italian accent that had Jax chuckling. 

“I wouldn’t do that again.” He teased. “I’ll see you later Dani girl.”

Jax left and Dani softly closed the door. She went to her duffel and removed her laptop and the couple of books that she had and set them on the nightstand. Her toiletries went into the bathroom and she set them on the counter. She had a couple pairs of shoes that she set neatly side by side in the closet. She noted a lack of hangers and mentally added it to her list for shopping with Gemma. 

She put her clothes in the dresser and looked in the duffel bag. There were a few items left in the bottom of the bag. She quickly transferred them into the messenger bag. She took the messenger bag and put int in the bottom drawer of chest, then folded the empty duffel and placed it on top of the messenger bag. She would need what was in that bag at some point but for now she didn’t want to think about it, wanted it out of sight. 

It hadn’t even taken her 20 minutes to complete these tasks. She exited the room and walked into the living room. “Hey,” she said to Opie, who was sitting on the sofa with a ball game on the television.

“You all finished up in there?” Opie asked.

“Yeah. I thought I’d, uhm, take inventory on the kitchen, supplies and whatnot, and then make a list before we go to the store?” Opie nodded. “You got a pad of paper and a pen?”

“Yeah there should be some in the first drawer there,” he gestured and started to get up. 

“No need to get up. I can find it.” Dani said.

“You sure? If you need some help in there…”

“I got it. Relax. Watch your game.” She said with a smile. 

She found the pen and paper with ease. The kitchen was well stocked with pots, pans, cooking utensils and such, but it was indeed pretty bare of food. There were a few canned vegetables as well as some cans of soup, but there wasn’t much else. The fridge wasn’t any better stocked, containing only various condiment bottles, beer, and a few takeout containers. 

She then sat down at the table and began to make a list. “Hey Opie, anything you’re allergic to or don’t like? Or anything that you want to make sure we do have in the house?”

“No allergies. I’m not picky, I’ll eat just about anything.” He got up and moved into the dining room, sitting across from her. “You mind if I take a look?” He asked, gesturing to the list. He let out a whistle as she had filled two pages. “We really need all this?”

“It takes good ingredients to make good food. And you have no ingredients.”

“You cook a lot?” he asked.

“Alice showed me. I could not boil water when we met, but she taught me to make a lot of country classics and comfort foods. Meatloaf, fried chicken, fresh baked bread, stuff like that. I’m still not as good as her, but she’s given my food her seal of approval.”

“If your cooking tastes half as good as you’re making me think it will, I might make it a point to be home for dinner more often.” Opie said as he handed the list back to her, smiling. Dani accepted it back with a small smile of her own, her face flushed. He got up from the table. “You ready to go?” Opie said looking back at her.

“Oh, yeah, let me just get my, uh, purse.” Dani got up and headed to her room, fanning her face with the list as she went to try and cool her burning cheeks. She grabbed her purse and headed back to where Opie was waiting. “Let’s go, we got a lot to cross off this list.” She said, and together they headed out the door.


	6. Chapter 06

Chapter Six

Shopping with Opie was interesting. His presence, with his large build and leather kutte, was intimidating enough that the other shoppers kept their distance, though he was incredibly patient with her as they shopped. He seemed intrigued by the way she inspected the produce, testing each item she picked up for its firmness or softness before deciding to add it to the cart or reject it in search for a superior tomato or cucumber. Opie helped her find all the items on her list, occasionally tossing random additional items in the cart as they caught his eye. When he held up a box of Apple Jacks cereal to get her opinion on, she told him se had never had it. “That’s a travesty.” He told her adding it to the cart. 

They filled the cart with kitchen staples, which included three different kinds of ice cream.

“I never want to live in a house with less than three kinds of ice cream,” she told him seriously, before breaking into a smile and pointing out all the random things he was getting. 

The cart was practically overflowing at this point, so they made their way to the checkout counter, still joking with each other about the various items in the cart. Together they loaded everything onto the conveyor, and when everything was totaled, Opie had paid before Dani even had time to think about reaching for her purse. 

Once everything was loaded into the truck bed, they jumped in the cab and headed back towards the house. “Hey Opie? Thanks.” Dani said softly.

“For what? The ride? We needed the groceries, though I still say two flavors of ice cream would have been plenty.”

“No not for the ride, though that too, I guess. For everything really, For the room, for caring, for—I don’t know, for being a friend, I guess. I don’t really have any friends, except Alice, and its kind of sad to say that my only friend is a 70-year-old semi-retired vet/farmer. Even if Alice is pretty awesome. But anyway, the point is, that it seems like we might be friends, and, well it’s nice, so… thanks.”

Opie took his eyes off the road for a moment to glance over at her. “Yeah, we’re friends. You don’t have to thank me for anything though, kid. That’s what friends do.”

Dani nodded. “Hey Opie? Please don’t call me kid. I haven’t been a kid since I was four years old.”

The rest of the ride was spent in a silence that bordered on that line of uncomfortable. Once they had arrived, they each took a bag and walked inside. Dani set her bag on the counter and turned to Opie, not quite meeting his eye. “Uhm, if you bring the rest of the groceries, I’ll get everything unpacked. You mind if I toss the takeout in the fridge?”

Opie watched her for a moment but when she continued to avoid eye contact, then sighed and nodded. “Yeah that’s fine.” Opie turned and went back outside. 

Dani quickly dumped the containers of food and got to work putting away the groceries. It took Opie three trips to bring in all the bags. When he set the last of them on the counter, he grabbed the now full trash bag and took it out of the can. He came back inside a final time, replaced the garbage bag, grabbed a beer from the fridge and sat at the dining table to read the newspaper. 

Dani finished putting everything away, then pulled out a couple of tomatoes, a cutting board and a knife and began dicing the tomatoes. After a couple of minutes, Dani was still feeling a little awkward and began speaking without looking away from her task just to cut the silence. “The produce at that store was not the greatest. Do you know if there are any farmer’s markets in the area?”

“Not sure. Gemma would probably know.”

”I’ll ask her when I call her later. It might be nice to get ahold of something a little fresher. Guess I got used to farm life. Alice had a big vegetable garden, I loved walking outside to pick veggies to use for that night’s dinner. Alice taught me how to take care of it. It was kind of nice, taking care of the soil, the plants. Gave me something to do when I started getting too much in my head. I think that’s why she taught me to cook too. Gives me something to focus on so I don’t lose get lost in my thoughts.”

Opie didn’t respond right away, and Dani kept working as she transferred the diced tomatoes into a pan. She grabbed a can of tomato paste and began rummaging through the drawers for a can opener. She had just found one when he spoke. 

“Plenty of space in the back yard if you want to pick a corner; plant some shit.”

“Really?” Dani asked, a hopeful tone in her voice as she fumbled with the can.

“You live here now. Carve out some space, make it your own.”

“I’d like that. Thanks.” Dani said and she felt the awkwardness disappear as she continued prepping her sauce much more peacefully. She added the tomato paste to the diced tomatoes, gave them a stir and put them on the stove on low heat. While she was adding some seasonings, she pulled her phone from her pocket to call Gemma.

She explained to Gemma her need to go shopping and the woman agreed to pick her up the following afternoon to pick some things up. The conversation felt a little stilted but went easier that Dani had anticipated. 

Dani went back to working on dinner, browning some ground beef and adding it to the sauce. She grabbed a loaf of garlic bread and turned the oven on to preheat, filled a large pot with water, added some salt and left it to boil while she threw together a quick salad. She put the garlic bread in the oven and had just tossed the noodles in the boiling water when Jax arrived.

“Something smells good.” He said as he gave Opie a pat on the back in greeting and came into the kitchen. “Hey Dani girl.” He said, giving her a hug. “How you doing?”

“Good.” Dani replied returning his hug briefly before returning her attention cooking. “Dinner’s almost ready if you want to wash up.”

Jax stood at the kitchen sink washing his hands and asked “How did everything go today?”

“Pretty good. Gonna start a vegetable garden in the yard.”

“Ok.” He nodded and she nudged him out of the way as she grabbed the pot of boiling noodles brought it to the sink to strain. Jax helped her bring everything to the table and everyone dished up a plate. Dani waited and watched while they each took a bite, flushing slightly at their compliments on her sauce and she was even more pleased when they both helped themselves to seconds. 

They sat around the table talking, Opie and Jax telling her stories about the shenanigans they got up to growing up, Dani telling them how she almost set Alice’s kitchen on fire the first time she was teaching her to cook. 

After dinner the guys grabbed a couple beers and they all moved into the living room to watch some movies. After the second action flick, Dani yawned and decided to go to bed. Jax told her he would be crashing on the couch if she needed anything as he gave her a hug and kissed the top of her head. She and Opie just looked at each other for a moment before each offered a small smile and said goodnight. 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Diana!” the angry man called. “Diana you stupid girl, come here!”

“My name is Dani!” the little girl screamed. “I want to go home!”

“Stupid little girl, this is your home. You had a dream your name was Dani, and you lived someplace else, but this is your home and your name is Diana! Say it! Diana!”

“Dani! Dani! Dani!” The little girl was yelling at the top of her lungs.

The angry man slapped her and picked her up. “Do you know what we do with stupid little girls who don’t know their names?” He said as he carried her into another room and opened a door to what turned out to be a closet and he tossed her in. “Now you’ll stay in here until you come to your senses, Diana.” He shut and locked the door, trapping the girl in the dark closet. 

The girl scrambled up and began banging her fists against the door. “Let me out! I want to go home! Mommy! Daddy! Jax!” The girl cried out again and again. After a few moments, the girl realized she was trapped in pitch black darkness. She did not like the dark. She scooted in the nearest corner and pulled her knees up to her chest as she began to scream. 

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dani sat straight up in bed as the scream fell from her lips. She brought her hand up to her chest and took in a gasping breath. That same moment Jax and Opie barged into the room scanning it for threats. When they found none Jax took a step forward and sat on the edge of the bed. “Dani what’s wrong?” HE asked,

“Dream,” Dani gasped. “It was a dream.” She pushed back the covers and stumbled out of bed towards the bathroom.

“A dream?” she heard Jax ask as she splashed some water on her face, then patted it dry with a towel. “What kind of dream has you screaming bloody murder?”

“A really fucking bad one.” Dani choked out as she flew past both him and Opie and began pacing in the living room. They both followed her and Jax went to take a step towards her. 

“I really need you to not touch me right now. And to-and to move as little as possible please.” Dani said in a hysterical tone. “Hands. Hands are good. Do something with hands.” She told herself as she dated into the kitchen. She turned on the coffee maker and then stumbled around the kitchen gathering ingredients. 

Jax watched as she scooped some flour and some other white shit into a bowl and asked “What the hell are you doing, Dani?”

“Making fucking biscuits.” Was her short reply.

“Making bisc—” Jax moved forward to try and get her to stop, but Opie put his hand out to halt him.

“Just give her a couple minutes, brother.” Opie told him. He gestured to the dining table and they both sat sown slowly. While they watched her as she whipped up a dough Opie told Jax what Dani had said earlier about working with her hands helping her focus. 

When Dani tossed some flour on the counter and transferred the dough out of the bowl onto the counter and began working it with her hands, Opie asked “You more focused yet, Dani?”

Dani nodded and Opie and Jax sighed with relief. “Dani girl, can you tell us what’s got you upset?” Jax asked.

Dani had the dough patted out into an even layer on the counter and was using a round cutter to cut out the biscuits. “I-, it’s” Sani sighed and started again. “I had a dream. It was the first thing I remember after being kidnapped. There was a man. He kept calling me Diana, told me I dreamed being Dani. Dreamed our family. Told me I was stupid for being confused. He tried to make me say I wasn’t me.”

Dani took a beak from speaking. She had cut all the biscuits out and was reshaping the dough scraps to cut out more. 

“Instead I started screaming my name over and over, so he slapped me. Locked me in a closet in the pitch black. I was banging on the door, screaming to let me out, to take me home. I screamed out for Gemma, for our dad, for you. I kept calling out over and over.” Dani paused as her eyes stated to water and she forced back the tears and refocused on her work. All the biscuits cut and on baking trays, she turned the oven on to preheat, and pulled out some ground sausage to start browning.

“I realized then that I was locked in a closet in the dark. I was fucking terrified of the dark, and that’s when I started screaming and woke up.” Dani stopped talking at that and poked at the meat in the pan as it browned.

There was silence for a while as Dani kept working, putting the biscuits in the oven to bake and made a sausage gravy. She went to grab mugs for coffee and that’s when Jax finally spoke. “That actually happened to you?” he asked, his voice thick with emotion.

Dani nodded as she set a cup in front of each of them and poured them all some coffee. “Yeah, that really happened.” She said. There was more silence as she brought dishes, utensils and the food she had made to the table.

When she sat down Jax cleared his throat before he spoke again. “Do you remember what happened after that?”

Dani paused in slicing a biscuit open and replied in a whisper “in the dream I just woke up. In reality, I was locked in there for two days.” Dani had lost the ability to hold back her tears any more and began to sob Jax reached out hesitantly and Dani went to his arms willingly. 

Jax started to ask her another question but she shook he head wildly and begged “Please Jax. I can’t, no more. Not now, please.”

“Ok Dani, no more, it’s ok now, you’re here.” He soothed her until she stopped crying. Dany sat up and wiped her face. 

She looked over at Opie and reached out and squeezed his hand. “You sure you still want my crazy ass here?” she asked him.

“You do this every night?” Opie asked.

“No. Sometimes I wake myself up before I scream. Sometimes I don’t sleep at all. Every blue moon or so, I’ll actually sleep through the night.” Dani answered honestly. “I know it’s a lot of trouble, I can find some place- “

“Your crazy ass is staying right here.” Opie told her. “Now talk to me about this biscuit and gravy situation here.”

Dani gave a small smile “Biscuits and gravy are the most comforting comfort food in the world. So I made them, and we are going to eat them.” And so they did.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

They had sat up for a little over an hour before they all decided to try for a bit more sleep. The next morning, they were all weary and sat around drinking coffee until they each had to get ready for their respective days.

Gemma had picked Dani up at noon and the two had left for their shopping trip. They had clashed at every opinion though, Gemma liked dark colors, where Dani liked bright colors and patterns. Gemma had suggested more fitted clothing, where Dani liked flowing layers. Gemma wanted to try on in store, Dani just wanted to take it home if she liked it and deal with a return if it did not work. Finally, they had called it a day, stopping only to get coffee on the way back. While they were waiting for their drinks Dana asked. “Why is this so hard for us? I mean, Jax and I have been getting along from the moment we reconnected, but this, with us, it feels strained. I know you feel it too. I just wonder why it cant be easy for us too?”

Gemma nodded. “Part of that is regular mother-daughter crap. Part of it is you have so much of your father in you, and part of it is that you have a lot of me in you too.” Their drinks were up so they took their coffees to the stirring station and doctored them to their liking. Dani had noticed that Gemma had skipped the creamer as had she, and they were both adding excessive amounts of sugar. Gemma had noticed this as well. “Black, lots of sugar.” Gemma said.

Dani nodded. “Same here.”

Gemma put her arm around Dani and said “See? Something we can agree on and hell didn’t even freeze over” as she guided her out of the shop.

Dani knew it was such a small thing but could not help but feel that this one thing had caused a crack to form in the wall between she and her mother, and that maybe someday, they’d find their way through.


	7. Chapter 07

Chapter Seven

The next few days passed without incident. Dani continued to have difficulty sleeping, but she hadn’t woken up screaming for a couple of days and had convinced Jax he didn’t need to stay with her at Opie’s anymore. 

Opie wasn’t home much, busy with work and the club. When he was home he spent a lot of time in the garage working on his bike or truck. He did seem to try and hang around Dani once a day. Either at breakfast or dinner, depending on his schedule, he would sit at the table and read the paper or lean against the counter and just watch her cook as they talked. He had offered to help once but she just shoed him away. Their chats were simple, things that needed done around the house, how Opie’s day went at TM, Dani’s ideas for her garden. 

Dani had picked the far corner of the yard for her project and was deciding how she wanted to lay out her garden beds and what she wanted to grow. She was fairly confident that Opie had no interest in gardening, though he still listened and asked her questions, just as she did when he talked about engines. She could not tell a carburetor from, well, she didn’t know the name of any other parts, but it was just nice to have someone to talk about those simple things with.

Monday morning had rolled around and Jax had called to say he was leaving to come and pick her up to take her to her appointment. She went into her room to get her shoes and took a moment to look in the mirror. Her hair was pulled into a low ponytail what hung over her left shoulder. She wore fitted dark wash jeans, a white tank top under a purple Henley shirt, sleeves pushed up to her elbow. A lightweight brown scarf was wrapped loosely around her neck, which she adjusted and when she was satisfied with its appearance, she pulled on a pair of brown leather ankle boots. She grabbed her purse and sunglasses and went to wait for Jax on the front steps, making sure to lock the front door.

She jumped up from the steps as she heard the approaching motorcycle and when she saw Jax coming around the corner she walked to the end of the driveway to meet him as he pulled up to the house. Pulling the long strap of her bag across her body to sit on the opposite shoulder, she climbed on the bike behind Jax, who had taken off his helmet and passed it to her. She strapped the helmet on and they were off. 

Sooner than she would have liked they pulled into the hospital parking lot and Jax killed the engine. She climbed off the bike and removed the helmet, handing it to Jax with a nervous smile.

“You ok to do this Dani?” Jax asked her.

Dani looked up at Jax and nodded, as much as she didn’t want to be there, she knew it was for the best. “I’m good Jax. I got this,” she told him, and they walked into the building. They hopped on the elevator to the third floor and followed the signs, finding the office relatively easy. 

Jax went to find a seat in the small waiting room as Dani stopped to check in with the receptionist. The woman smiled at Dani and gave her some paperwork to fill out. Dani filled in her name, address and phone number and returned the papers, explaining that she did not have any additional information. The woman nodded sympathetically as Dani said she had been missing and declared dead, therefore had no active social security number or identification. She showed her a copy of the police report Chief Unser had given her, and called Jax over to get the number for the attorney that was helping resurrect her. 

The receptionist made a few calls, speaking to the hospital administration before telling her that everything was in order for her appointment and to please let them know when her identity had been reinstated so they could update their records. 

It was only a few minutes later when Dani was called back. Jax squeezed her hand in support and she rose to follow the woman to the back

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dani came out of the office an hour later, and Jax rose to meet her. “So how did it go?” He asked.

Dani shrugged. “I don’t know. I mean she definitely agreed with the PTSD diagnosis, and she gave me some stuff that could be helpful, like breathing techniques and stuff if I start to feel panicky, she suggested looking into meditation too. But she said she thinks I should see her every week for a while, and I don’t know how I feel about that, but I told her I’d make the appointment, at least. And she gave me a ‘homework’ assignment.” 

“Homework?” Jax asked as they stopped at reception to make an appointment for the following week.

“Something I have to do before my next appointment.” Dani explained. “I mentioned the flinching thing. She suggested that if I am the one to initiate contact that I might be more relaxed and open to it. So I have to initiate a handshake or a hug or something like with someone I am ‘reasonably comfortable with’ three times before next week.” Dani laughed when Jax asked when he was getting his hug. “You don’t count.” She told him. “Apparently, I have an inherent level of trust in you, and the homework is designed to push me out of my comfort zone in a safe way, or some crap like that.”

“I gotta head into TM for a bit, you want me to drop you off at home or you want to come by and hang out for a bit?” Jax asked her. 

Dani agreed to go with him and a little while later they pulled into the lot. Jax backed his bike into a spot and once again Dani was climbing off the bike, handing Jax his helmet. Jax was looking at something over her shoulder and then looked back at her with a teasing glint in his eyes.

“Opie’s over there.” He told her nodding towards the garage. 

“So?” Dani asked.

“So, you’re good with Ope, right?”

“What are you getting at?”

“I’m just saying, you’ve got that homework assignment. Ope might be a good first target.”

“Target? You sound like its an assassination, not a handshake.”

Jax shook his head. “I was thinking a hug.”

Dani stared at him. “Are you on drugs? I’m supposed to just randomly walk up to him and hug him in the middle of the garage?”

“Why not?” he asked as he turned and walked towards the garage. “Hey Ope!” He called out and Opie started towards Jax, meeting him halfway. They gave each other one of those man-hug, pat on the backs and stood there talking.

Dani felt her irritation grow that Jax could say hello to a friend so casually and the thought of her doing the same literally had her frozen in place. Shaking her head at herself she walked in their direction with determination. Without sparing her brother a glance she said “Hey Opie,” and wrapped her arms around him. 

Opie froze for half a second, then returned her hug. “Uh, hey.”

Despite her irritation with her brother, she felt comfortable in Opie’s arms and closed he eyes for a brief moment before taking a half step back and looking up at him sheepishly. She felt herself start to flush so to cover her embarrassment, she turned towards Jax and gave him a slap on the shoulder. 

“Happy now, asshole?” She asked. 

Jax just gave her a smirk. “So how was it?”

Dani stared as realization set in. “It worked! Wait, you did that on purpose so I wouldn’t think about it.”

“It’s a brother’s duty to know how to push his sister’s buttons” he replied.

“Someone want to clue me in here?” Opie asked. When they explained her homework assignment and Jax’s goading, Opie just shook his head and chuckled. 

“Alright, we gotta take care of something in the club house. Gemma should be in the office if you want to say hey.” Jax told her and pointed in the direction of the garage as he and Opie head towards the club house. 

Dani headed towards the garage office and stopped at the doorway. She could see Gemma sitting at a desk working. She took a breath and stepped inside. “Hey Mom.” 

Gemma looked up. “Hey baby.” She stood up and Dani told herself not to overthink, just go, so she walked to her mother and gave her a brief hug. It was less awkward than the previous contact they had, but still fount herself wanting something more out of her mother’s embrace. “What are you doing here?” Gemma asked.

“I was with Jax, he said he had to stop by here for a bit. Thought I’d come and say hi.” Dani hesitated a moment. “Is there anything I can help with?” She asked gesturing to the stacks of papers on Gemma’s desk. 

Gemma looked between her and the desk a few times. “Sure, I got something you can help with.” She handed her a stack of invoices. “I’ve got these all entered into the bookkeeping software, if you want to file them for me by customers last name.” She pointed to the filing cabinet behind Dani. 

Dani nodded and took the stack from Gemma. She carefully filed the invoices as Gemma entered more into the system. When she was finished with the first stack Gemma handed her a second one. About halfway through the second stack, Jax walked into the office. He gave Gemma a kiss and came o lean against the side of the file cabinet Dani was working on. 

“Some club business came up that I have to deal with.” Jax told Dani. “You ok to get Mom or Ope to take you home?”

“Sure.” Dani nodded. Jax looked at her, then looked over at Gemma before looking back at Dani. His eyes held a question he did not ask. Dani nodded and held up two fingers indicated she had completed her second task of her assignment. Jax grinned, kissed her on the forehead and said goodbye. 

A few minutes later Opie appeared in the door between the office and the garage. “Hey, I need to finish up with the Chevy in bay two. It will be about thirty, forty-five minutes or so.” He told her. Dani nodded and held up her stack of invoices to let him know she could keep busy while she waited. He started to turn to leave but then stopped and turned back around. “I rode my bike in today. You ok to ride back with me?” 

Dani looked at him for a moment before nodding. “Yeah, that should be fine.” She said. He held her eye contact for a moment longer before he nodded and went back into the garage. 

Dani turned back to the filing cabinet but felt another pair of eyes on her and turned to face Gemma, who raised an eyebrow at her. “What?” Dani asked.

“Nothing, baby,” Gemma replied with a smirk. 

Dani just shook her head and went back to work. A while later, Opie was in the doorway again. “You ready?” He asked her.

“Just one minute.” She said filing the last three invoices she was holding. She turned to Gemma to make sure she was ok with having her leave. 

Gemma went to a cash box and pulled out a few bills. “Thanks for helping today.” She took Dani’s hand and pressed the bills in her hand as she pressed a quick kiss to her cheek.

“Gemma, you don’t have to—this isn’t why I helped out today.” Dani said. 

“I know, but you saved me a lot of time so you’re gonna take it.”

Dani assessed her for a moment before nodding and shoving the money into her bag. “Thanks. See you later.” She said, then followed Opie to his bike. 

Just as Jax had, Opie climbed on the bike and handed her his helmet. She snapped it on and tightened the strap. Climbing on the bike behind Opie, Dani’s skin began tingling as she wrapped her arms around him. Opie started the bike, turned to ask her if she was set, and when she nodded, he took off. She turned her face to the side and pressed her cheek against Opie’s broad back as they sped through town. Riding with Opie was entirely a different experience than riding with Jax. With Jax, she had felt like they were birds soaring, flying into the wind. With Opie, it felt like there was no her or him, they were like one and that one WAS the wind. She closed her eyes to savor the feeling of Opie, of the wind. 

She was reluctant when she the motorcycle slow and come to a stop. She opened her eyes to see that they were home. Slowly she removed her arms from around Opie, and climbed off the bike, feeling a bit unsteady. She removed the helmet and handed it to Opie who took it, brushing her hand as he did. Opie was looking at her with those dark eyes of his, Dani unable to look away. She felt the heat on her face as she blushed, finally breaking eye contact and looking down for a moment. When she looked back, he had that half smile on his face and she felt the need to say something. “I’m not really in the mood for cooking, was thinking we could order some pizza or something.” 

Opie nodded. “Sure, order what you want. I’ve got something I need to work on in the garage til it gets here. 

Dani went into the house still in the haze of a feeling she didn’t recognize. She ordered two meat lovers pizzas, changed into a pair of leggings and an oversized tee shirt, and turned on the TV to find something to watch while she waited. She settled on a scary movie, Halloween. She queued up the movie but didn’t start it yet. She set out a couple paper plates and napkins, poured herself a glass of Dr. Pepper, and set it on the coffee table. She was just pressing play when the pizza arrived. She tipped the driver and brought the pizza inside. Opening the garage door, she told him that food was here, and she was just starting a movie.

Opie came inside, washing up at the kitchen sink as Dani loaded her plate with a few slices. She carried her food into the living room and stretched out on the sofa, her back against the armrest, legs propped up on the cushion next to her. Opie came in with his plate in one hand, a beer in the other, and relaxes into the chase portion of the sofa, his legs so long that his heels hung off the edge of the built-in footrest.

They ate their fill and watched the movie in silence, Dani jumping occasionally during a scary moment. After a particularly gruesome scare, Opie reached out with his hand and rested it on the only part of her he could comfortably reach, the top of her foot. Dani turned her head to look at him and he raised his eyebrow in question. She gave him a small smile and turned back to the movie, blushing when Opie gave her foot a squeeze in response.

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Dani heard someone chuckling and a voice say, “Well isn’t this cute?” She brought her hand up to rub her face and opened her eyes. Jax and Chibs stood in the living room and were looking at her.

She sat up, realizing she must have fallen asleep at some point. She looked to the opposite end of the couch to see Opie sleeping as well, hand still on her foot, head leaning back, snoring slightly.

She looked back to her brother, “Jax? Everything ok?” She asked.

“Everything’s fine. We just need Ope. Go back to sleep.” Jax told her. 

Opie was just waking up. “Christ, man. What’s going on?” he asked groggily. 

“Club Shite.” Chibs said. “Gotta go brother.”

Opie was up in a flash, slipping on his kutte and shoes. Dani just sat there watching everything. “You sure everything’s ok?” she asked sleepily. 

Jax ruffled her hair, “Everything’s fine.” He repeated. “Sorry we woke you. You looked like you were sleeping well.”

Dani just nodded, too tired to care about anything else.

“Go back to sleep” Jax told her again and she nodded once more as the three men headed for the door. 

“Be safe.” She called as they closed the door and she could hear Opie locking the deadbolt from the outside. She sat there for another minute, then crawled into the spot Opie vacated, letting the warmth he left behind lull her back to sleep before she could even hear the sound of the motorcycle engines roaring to life.


	8. Chapter 08

Chapter Eight

Dani was sitting at the table with a pad of paper and a cup of coffee when Opie returned home the next morning. 

“Hey,” she said taking in his appearance. “You look exhausted. Everything ok with the club?”

Opie nodded. “Yeah, everything’s fine.” He told her making his way into the kitchen to fix a bowl of cereal and grab a cup of coffee. 

“That’s good. I was too sleepy to think last night, but when I woke up this morning, I was worried something bad had happened, the way you guys had to take off like that.” She replied. Opie nodded as he sat at the table and dug into his breakfast. Dani sensed his reluctance to talk about what happened, so she changed topics. “I’m sure you want to relax for a while, but I was hoping later today, we could go and get some supplies for the garden.” She showed him the pad of paper that she had in front of her that had the garden layout sketched out and a list of supplies. “I might need some help cutting the 2X4’s for the garden beds, but other than that, I think I can do the rest by myself.”

Opie looked over her plans and nodded. “I can help with that. Let me grab a nap for a bit, and then we can go.” He told her.

Later that afternoon Dani was in the yard marking out the exact spot for her garden beds while Opie was in the garage running the power saw. Dani had offered to help with that, but Opie declined, and after confirming the measurements for each cut of wood with her, he told her to go set up in the yard.

They had picked up three rectangular flower beds that she wanted to mount on the fence to use to grow herbs and smaller vegetables. Dani was measuring and marking where to drill into the fence to secure them when she heard Opie coming out of the garage. She turned to help him but stilled at the sight of his muscular frame carrying the lumber. His shirtless, very tattooed, muscular frame. It occurred to her in this moment, just how rugged and handsome Opie was. It also occurred to her that if it were any other man walking towards her shirtless right now, she would be out of her mind with fear, but fear was not the feeling she had stirring in her. She quickly shoved that feeling down. It wouldn’t do well to dwell on that. She shook her head to clear herself of her thoughts as Opie approached and set the lumber down.

“You ok?” He asked her, taking in her flushed cheeks. Dani nodded and quickly showed him where she wanted the first garden bed to go. She helped hold the wood in place as he drilled in some screws to secure it. The built the frame up three boards high, and then did the process again a second time. 

As they were working Dani noticed one of the tattoos on his shoulder was of a woman. “Donna? Is that your ex?” she asked. 

Opie grunted something that she took for affirmation. “Do you mind if I ask what happened with you two?”

Opie paused in their work for a moment but didn’t look up. He then resumed working. For a moment he didn’t say anything and just as Dani was about to apologize for being nosy, he spoke. “Donna was never really a fan of the club. I got arrested and went away for five years. Donna wanted me to promise to leave the club when I got out. Told her I couldn’t do that; the club was a part of our family. She said I was choosing the club over her and the kids. She decided I was a bad guy; served me with divorce papers about a year before I got out.”

Dani sat there, absorbing the information. In addition to telling her about his ex, he had also confirmed her suspicions that there were indeed aspects of the club that were on the shady side of things. She chose not to focus on this now. “I’m sure it must have been hard for her to have you taken from her for so long, to have to take care of your kids without you. But Opie, you’re not a bad guy.”

“You barely know me. How do you know?”

“I spent my life around enough bad guys to know one when I see them. And that’s not you. I don’t know what all the club is involved in, but I know it’s a part of you. Your father is in the club, your best friend. To ask you to give that up would be like cutting you in half. That doesn’t make you bad.”

They had finished building the second box and slowly stood, facing each other. Opie slowly reached out and took her hand and gave it a squeeze. They just stood there for a while, holding hands, taking comfort in each other’s presence.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------

The next day, Dani was in the backyard, planting in her garden by herself. She and Opie had finished their work silently the previous day, and neither said much throughout the evening. It hadn’t been an uncomfortable silence, more contemplative, each of them tending to their own thoughts. Dani went to bed early that night, but only managed a couple hours sleep. She spent the rest of the night sitting in bed, writing in her journal. 

When dawn broke, she got up and changed into a pair of shorts and a tee-shirt, had a quick bite of toast for breakfast and went outside to start planting. She had filled the boxes with soil and watered them yesterday, so the soil was moist and ready for her. She sat in front of one of the garden beds with her handheld hoe and spade and began planting.

The sun was getting high as she was finishing up and she was surprised to hear Jax’s voice calling for her from the house. “Out back!” she called and stood up, trying to brush some of the dirt off her as Jax came outside. 

“Hey Dani, darlin.” He said giving her a quick hug. “This you’re garden? Looks nice.” He left one arm around her shoulder as he turned to look at the space.

“Thanks, now we will just have to see if anything will grow.”

“So,” said Jax, “you slept with my best friend, huh?” he said with a serious look on his face before breaking into a grin.

Dani flushed and pushed at Jax’s shoulder. “You jerk. If by sleep with, you mean fell asleep at the same place after eating ourselves into a pizza coma, then yes, we slept together. And it was amazing,” she responded to her brothers teasing.

Jax bust out laughing. “But really,” he said when he stopped “you and Ope getting along ok here?” 

“Yeah, I like Opie, he’s a good friend. He’s easy to be around.”

“Friend, huh?”

“Yeah, friend, what else would he be?”

“I don’t know, seems like maybe you might have little crush sometimes,” he teased, giving her a nudge.

Dani sighed. “I don’t—I can’t think that way, Jax.”

“Why can’t you?” Jax asked her, his hand on her shoulder giving her a reassuring squeeze.

“Jax, I’m so fucking damaged and defective.” She said as a few hot tears rolled down her cheeks. “After everything that I’ve been through, even if there was someone I liked, no matter how much I liked them, I don’t know that I could ever really let myself be with anyone. And even if I could get past all my shit to get that point, no one would want me even then. I’m too broken.”

“Dani, listen to me. You will get on the other side of this someday. You will get to a place where you want to let someone in your life like that. It’s gonna take time, and when you do, I have no doubt you will have a line of guys hoping you will choose them. And I have no problem kicking the ass of any one of them that isn’t good enough for you or even thinks about treating you like less than you deserve.”

“I’m trying. I wish I was there, that I could tell you, let you help me carry the burden, like we talked about, just let go of some of this shit. I’m getting closer, but I’m not there yet.”

“I know darlin’. There’s no rush.”

“Thanks Jax,” Dani said. After a moment she spoke again. “If—when I get to that point. Would it be weird for you if I did like the sasquatch?”

“Maybe a little, but not really. I already think of him as my brother. I’d be ok if you made that official for me.” Jax teased.

Dani laughed and wiped the stray tears away. 

Jax let go of her and tugged on her arm. “Alright, enough of this sappy crap, lets go for a ride.” Dani happily let her pull him around the side of the house to his bike and they rode off, Dani letting her thoughts float away with the wind.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------

A man came into the room, giving the girl a sick smile. “Time to go to your new home, Diana,” he told her. 

The girl was about 12 years old now, and terrified. She had been in that place for almost as long as she could remember, and she hated it there, but was terrified of where they might be taking her. She knew to stay alert, to watch for a chance to fight, to run. Just as that thought crossed her mind, the man pulled out a syringe and the girl backed away. She knew if he gave her what was in that needle, her chance of escape would disappear. 

“Come here Diana.” The man commanded, but the girl shook her head. The man took a step towards her, and that was when she made her move, darting around him towards the door that had been left slightly ajar. She had almost made it to the door when she felt a hand grab at her hip and she tumbled to the ground. She turned to see the man coming at her crouching down. She kicked at his chest to try and push him away, but her was back on her within a second. He lifted her up by her shoulders and slammed her back down to the ground, her head hitting the floor in a flash of pain. He slapped her across her face with the back of his hand to further disorient her and then came the pinch of a needle as she faded into nothingness.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dana gasped as she startled awake. She sat there telling herself she was ok, she was safe. She climbed out of bed and made her way into the darkness of the living room. She sat on the sofa, tucking her legs in underneath her and turned on the tv, making sure to adjust the volume down so not to wake Opie. She flipped through the channels, finding a marathon of the original Star Trek, letting herself get pulled into the plot with Spock and Captain Kirk. 

A few episodes in, she heard shuffling come from the hallway and looked over to see Opie peaking from around the corner. “Sorry, did I wake you?” she asked.

Opie shook his head and came and sat down on the other end of the sofa. “No, you didn’t. What are you watching? Cheesy chick-flick?” 

“Star Trek. I don’t like those cheesy chick-flicks.” She told him.

“Why not Not that I’m complaining, but I thought all chicks liked that stuff.” Opie asked

“You said it, they’re all so cheezy.” 

“And Star Trek isn’t?”

“It’s all crap I know nothing about. Makeover montages, dancing, dating, the perfect kiss, breaking up over a stupid misunderstanding before someone is declaring their undying love and they live happily ever after. Life isn’t like that. I hate the idea of a makeover, I don’t know how to dance, I’m undatable, and it all goes down from there. Watching that crap is like rubbing my face in what I can’t have and don’t understand.”

“You really think that?” Opie asked her and Dani just shrugged. Opie stood and turned off the tv. He rummaged through a stack of CD’s before pulling one out. 

“What are you doing?” She asked him as he put the cd into the stereo.

“I can do anything about the rest of that crap tonight, but there’s one thing I can fix right now. We’re gonna dance. I’ll deny it if you tell anyone about this though.” He turned on the stereo and queued up a song, before turning to her and extending her hand.”

“I can’t dance.” She told him again.

“Just think of it as a long hug, while moving your feet.” He replied as she heard a slow melody start up. 

Dani reluctantly took his hand and let him pull her up. He brought her hands up to his shoulders, before sliding his arms down and around her waist. Dani stood there awkwardly for a moment before she relaxed into his embrace, turning her head to place her cheek against his chest. Opie tightened his grip on her slightly, and began rocking them back and forth, turning slowly. Dani just let him move them, listening to the beautiful lyrics and melody of the song playing. She could hear Opie’s steady heartbeat and feel his warmth seeping into her and she let herself get swept away in the moment. She pulled back to look up at Opie as the song neared its end. “Opie?” The intensity of his dark gaze set her nerves on fire. If she were braver, stronger, better, she would lean up and kiss him right this moment. She could feel the air from his breath mixing with hers as it was, and it was intoxicating. ‘Maybe someday.’ She thought to herself. Instead she tucked her head back into his chest and simply said “Thank you.”

Her heart skipped a beat as he pressed a kiss to the top of her head and pulled her even closer. They stayed that way even after the song had ended.   
Opie eventually released her and said, “How’s that for a cheesy chick flick moment?” He asked, making her laugh, before taking her hand and leading her back to the sofa. They sat down side by side, and Opie turned the tv back on. They stayed there that way for several hours, hands clasped, watching episode after episode of Star Trek.


	9. Chapter 09

Chapter Nine

Dani was sitting on the floor of the living room attempting to meditate. She had started one of the guided meditation recordings that her doctor had suggested. She was having trouble staying focused, keeping her mind clear. Her mind kept wandering. ‘Breathing…I’m focusing on breathing…breathing breathing breathing… crap my nose itches. Should I ignore it? I’m ignoring it. I’m breathing. God it itches so bad, ok I’m scratching it, that’s nice. Why do itches show up at the most inconvenient times. I guess that’s life. Nothing happens when its convenient. Crap, breathing. Breathing… Did I water the garden? I think I did, but did I turn off the hose? Crap, I can’t remember, I think I-‘ she was cut off from her mind wanderings by a knock at the door. “Thank God,” she muttered. She made a mental not to tell the doctor she didn’t think meditation was for her as she climbed off the floor. 

She looked through the peephole to see two men wearing suits standing on the other side of the door. “Who is it?” She called out, tensing.

“Federal Agents, Ma’am,” came the reply.

Dani sighed. Chief Unser had told her investigators would be in touch now that she had resurfaced but she had been dreading this. Reluctantly, she opened the door.

“Can I help you?” She asked. 

“My name is Agent Greene, this is Special Agent Johnson, are you Danielle Teller?” he asked. Agent Green was of average height and build with a receding hairline and wire-framed glasses. Agent Johnson was taller, 6’1” or so, with short dark hair, brown eyes and broad shoulders. 

“Yes.” Dani responded. 

“Ms. Teller, we are with the FBI. We’ve been assigned to investigate your kidnapping. We’d like to ask you some questions, would you mind if we come in? Agent Green asked. 

Dani did mind. She did not know these men and did not trust them even if they were FBI, and she was home alone. “I’m sorry, I’m in the middle of something, perhaps we could meet down at the police station later today.” She suggested.

Agent Johnson stepped forward, too close for Dani’s comfort and she took a step back. The man took advantage of the space she had created and shouldered by her, entering the house, followed by Agent Greene. “We only have a few questions for you. This won’t take long.” Agent Johnson said. 

Dani stayed near the open door, wanting to have a quick escape path. “What do you want to know?” she asked tersely. 

“According to the information you gave Charming PD, you were being held by more than one person and were relocated several times, correct?” Agent Greene asked.

“Yes.”

“Can you tell us how many?”

“Several.” Dany said tightly, wrapping her arms around herself.

“Did you overhear any names, or could you describe any of them to us?” Agent Greene tried again.

“They would drug me at times. I don’t remember a lot very clearly, and what I do remember is very difficult for me to discuss. I’ve met with a psychiatrist. She’s diagnosed me with PTSD, I’m working with her to get a handle on the symptoms and address what happened to me, but we’ve only just begun, I’m afraid that I wont be much help to you at the moment.” She told them, stretching the truth of those statements just a little. She wanted the agents to leave. She wanted to call Jax, but her phone was on the kitchen counter and she would have to walk by the agents to get too the kitchen; she couldn’t let her put them between her and the exit.

“Do you recall if your kidnappers ever mentioned the Sons of Anarchy?” Agent Johnson asked.

“What? No, why would they have?” Dani asked startled.

“Do you have any reason to think that you may have been targeted because of your family’s affiliation with the Sons? Or that the Sons themselves may have been somehow involved?” Agent Johnson pressed further. 

“Of course not!” She replied. “What would a bunch of guys who ride Harley’s have to do with me being kidnapped. I think you shou—”

“Are you aware of any illegal activities that the Sons of Anarchy might be involved in?” Agent Johnson interrupted. 

“You need to leave. Now.” Dani demanded.

She stared at the agents, and after a moment they both began walking towards the door. Agent Greene walked by her and out the door, but Agent Johnson paused in front of her. “We’ll be in touch.” He said.

“You can direct any further questions to my family’s attorney, David Rosen.” She told him, refusing to step back this time when he again invaded her personal space. Instead she met his glare, and clenched her fists, preparing to strike if he came any closer. He did not, he simply grimaced and continued by her out the door. She shut and bolted the door before hurrying into the kitchen to grab her phone. Her hands trembled as she dialed Jax’s number and listened to it ring. There was no answer. She tried Opie, and then Gemma, neither of them answered. She grabbed the phone book and looked up the number for the garage. She cried out in frustration when there was no answer there either. She tried Jax one more time. When there was still no answer she began pacing. “Fuck this,” she told herself and went into her room, grabbing her bag and car keys. She looked out the window to make sure there was no sign of the FBI agents and left, locking the door behind her. She climbed into her truck and started to drive. 

She pulled into TM before she knew it, not bothering to pull into a space before throwing the truck into park. Her hands were still shaky, and she was struggling to control her breathing. She couldn’t have been sitting there for more than a minute or two before Jax was at her door. “What are you doing here?” Jax asked as he opened the door to the truck. “I thought we agreed that you weren’t going to drive til we got you your license.” 

Dani jumped out of the truck and gave him a shove. “Unless it was an emergency, asshole! Where the hell were you? I called you! I called Opie, I called Gemma, I called the garage. I couldn’t reach anybody!” She shoved at him again. 

“What’s going on?” he asked her.

“Something happened, and I fucking needed to talk to you!” She went to shove him again, but he stopped her, grabbing her hands. 

“I’m sorry you couldn’t reach us. Gemma is gone today and the rest of us were handling some shit for the club, we just wrapped up. Now calm down, come inside and talk to me.” Jax said as he gently, but quickly pulled her into the club house. Dani had never been inside, and while she was normally alert in new places, taking in each detail, the people, and the quickest way out, she barely registered her surroundings or the other club members loitering about. Her brain did register that Opie was there, sitting at a table. She pulled her hand away from Jax and took a few steps away from him and began pacing. 

“Dani, talk to me. Tell me what happened.” Jax said.

“The FBI showed up at the house today to talk to me about my kidnapping,” Dani said. She became fully aware that nearly every member of the club was there, and they became fully alert as soon as she said FBI.

“We knew they were gonna show up eventually. I’m sorry you were alone when they did. What did they do to get you so worked up Darlin?”

“They showed up, wanted to ask some questions. The one practically pushed his way into the house,” Dani was gesturing wildly as she spoke, “and they asked me if I could remember. I told them no, but then the one guy, the one who pushed his way in started asking all these crazy questions. Asked if my kidnappers ever mentioned the Sons, if it’s possible that I was taken because our family is part of the club. I said know but I really fucking need you to tell me that that’s impossible Jackson!”

“Dani, that’s not true.” Jax said in a low, even tone. “Dani, we made sure that wasn’t true, the club reached out to everyone back then, friends, enemies, everyone. We looked for you everywhere. If you were taken because of us, we would have gotten threats, or demands. We would have found you.”

“Ok, I believe you, but don’t you dare fucking say they looked everywhere. Clearly, they fucking didn’t. Dani glared at him before resuming pacing. “So after that, the asshole agent asked if someone IN the Sons may have been responsible. Now that one I knew was fucking ridiculous, I know that much. Then he starts to go off in a different direction asking me if I know about any illegal activities the club is involved in.”

“What did you say?” This time the question came from Clay, and Dani turned to face him. 

“I told them to get the fuck out. I wouldn’t even know anything TO tell them. That’s just fine by me; I don’t want to know, but don’t think I’m stupid, I know there’s more than Harleys and brotherhood happening here.” She turned back to Jax. “I told him if he had any more questions about my case that he should direct them to that lawyer, Rosen. I don’t know if that’s ok, I know lawyers cost money and shit, but I needed to get them out of the house, the asshole one kept getting too close.”

“Too close how? Jax asked. 

Dani walked up to him and grabbed his shoulders, pulling him so he was standing inches from her. “I mean he kept coming close, acting all intimidating and shit.”

Jax took the opportunity to pull Dani into a hug. “You did good with them Dani, real good. That was smart, sending their questions through Rosen, they won’t be able to come at you like that again.” 

Dani nodded, relieved. Dani pulled back from Jax’s hug, she still had too much nervous energy flowing through her to be comfortable, even with Jax. She finally acknowledged that all eyes were on her. “Hey guys,” she said sheepishly.

“Alright, Dani, you need to relax. Why don’t you come sit down and we will get you a drink?” Jax said guiding her to the table where Opie sat.

“I don’t want to sit down,” Dani told him quietly. 

“We can go stand at the bar and have a drink instead,” he offered, and Dani nodded. Jax turned to Opie and jerked his head, indicating for him to join them and he led Dani to the bar with Opie trailing behind them.

“Wait. Did you mean a drink, drink?” Dani asked, “I’ve never had a drink.” She told him.

“Really? Well let me get you your first. Prospect!” Jax called out to a young man standing behind the bar and ordered three shots of whiskey. Shot glasses were soon placed in front of Opie, Dani, and Jax.

“Wait,” Dani said as Jax and Opie each reached for their drink. “I don’t know if I’ll like it. I… the people who took me, they used to drug me, I think they hoped that I would like it and listen to them more, but I didn’t, I hated it. It made me feel sick, feel nothing. This won’t do anything like that, will it?” she asked. 

“If you drank too much, too fast, it’ll make you sick. We won’t let that happen. One shot here will help take the edge off those nerves, darlin, and then we’ll get you one drink. You won’t want to drink that one too fast. You don’t have to drink if you don’t want, we can get you something else. Just thought it might help after the day you’ve had.”

Dani nodded and reached for the shot glass. Jax and Opie raised their glasses and Dani followed suit before downing the shot in one gulp, wincing as it burned it’s way down her throat. Jax and Opie chuckled at her crinkled face and Jax got her another drink. He told her it was the same whiskey from her shot, mixed with Coke. Dani took a small sip and nodded. It was much easier to drink this way, almost pleasant. Jax told her he would be right back and left her with Opie as he and Clay stepped into a room off the bar.

Dani turned to Opie and gave him a small smile. “Hey,” she said.

Opie returned her smile, though she could still see the concern in his eyes. “How are you doing?” He asked her. 

The shot HAD helped ease her nerves, and she climbed onto the barstool next to her. “Better, I think. I’m so used to literally working through it when stuff like this comes up that it feels weird to not be doing anything with my hands right now.” She admitted.

Opie nodded. “If you think you are ok with moving over to one of the tables now that you’re a little less jittery, I can grab a couple of the other guys and we can play a game of cards. Give you something to focus on. Plus, you can get to know the guys a little better.”

Dani thought for a moment before nodding. “Yeah, that sounds ok. You’ll stay with me wont you?” 

Opie reached over and squeezed her hand. “Yeah, I’ll stay with you.”


	10. Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten

Opie took Dani’s hand and led her over to the other end of the bar where Bobby, Chibs and Juice were hanging out. Opie greeted them all, but Dani suddenly felt embarrassed. “So, I kind of feel like I should apologize for freaking out in front of everyone,’ she said, flushing slightly. 

“No lass, you’ve nothing to apologize for.” Chibs told her. “The feds who came at you today, it’s clear they knew how to make you uncomfortable, which buttons to push, but you handled them well, sending them to Rosen.” 

Dani just shrugged. 

“Anyway,” Opie interjected, “Dani’s gonna hang out for a bit, thought we’d see if anyone wanted to play cards.”

“Maybe we should do something else. I just realized I don’t really know any card games.”

“You ever play pool, lass?” Chibs asked. Dani shook her head. “Well then, now’s the time to learn. You and me against Bobby and Juicy.”

“What about Opie?” Dani asked, squeezing Opie’s hand.

“Opie can be your coach, show you how to line up your shot, figure out your angles.” Chibs told her. 

Opie squeezed her hand back in reassurance, so Dani nodded. As they approached the pool table, Dani looked to Chibs and said, “You sure you want to be on a team with me? I’m not sure I’ll be very good.”

“You’ll do fine, I’m sure.” He encouraged.

Opie pressed a cue in her hand. He explained the right way to rack the balls as Chibs placed the cue ball on the table and lined up his shot to break. The balls scattered across the table, an orange ball rolling into a side pocket. Chibs lined up another shot and sunk a second ball but missed the next one. Bobby took his turn and sunk one ball before he missed, and it was Dani’s turn. Opie reminded her she was solids, showed her how to hold the cue, recommended what ball to shoot for and showed her how to line up the shot. Dani struck the cue ball firmly and watched it collide with its intended target, which rolled towards its destination. Dani’s aim was a bit off though as the ball hit the wall just next to the pocket.

Opie assured her it was a good first try and the game continued in a similar fashion. Dani managed to sink a couple of balls to her elation, the others chuckling with amusement at her excitement. She and Chibs lost that game but they set up to play another.   
As they were racking the balls, a thought occurred to Dani. “You know, there’s gotta be all sorts of shit like this that don’t know how to do or have never done, and I haven’t even thought about til now.”

“Like what?” Juice asked.

“Umm… I don’t know how to swim. I’ve never been on a roller coaster, never seen the ocean. I don’t know how to ride a bike or play an instrument. I’ve never made a s’more. I saw someone make them on a tv show the other day, and it looked like fun. I think I’d like them. I’ve never been to a baseball game… or any other kind of game for that matter.” Dani paused from her list to take her turn, sinking one ball.

“What do you do when you’re all day?” Bobby asked.

“I’m pretty boring right now. I’ve got my vegetable garden, so I’m looking after that now, I listen to music. I read or watch tv. I like to cook and bake.” Juice mentioned Bobby’s muffins and banana bread, and Bobby and Dani began discussing baking techniques and the benefits of using quality ingredients. 

As the second game progressed, Dani became more comfortable with those around her and her skills at pool started improving slightly. As Dani’s turn came around once again, she saw that there was only one more solid ball on the table, plus the eight ball. She hadn’t yet made two shots in a row, but she was excited as she took her shot, but grew nervous as it landed in the pocket. All that was left for her was the 8 ball. Opie assured her it was an easy shot and helped her line it up. When the ball fell into the pocket, Dani squealed and gave Opie a hug, and then, surprising herself, gave Chibs a hug as well, who congratulated her with a “Well done, lass.”

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dani had a fun evening at the clubhouse. She had declined playing any further games, choosing instead to watch the others play. She had a second drink as she visited and watched the game, feeling very relaxed in her surroundings. Jax had appeared her at side a while later. He made sure she was doing ok, and at her request took her to the bar for another drink. Dani was sitting at the bar with Jax, halfway through her drink when she started to feel lightheaded. Jax asked how much she’d had to drink, and she told him this was the third, not counting the shot they all did together. 

“What did you eat today?” Jax asked.

“I had some eggs for breakfast, but I was trying to meditate and skipped lunch and then the stupid agents came.” Dani told him. A glance at the clock told her it was almost 8 PM.

“I’m sorry Dani. I should have made sure you weren’t drinking on an empty stomach. No wonder it’s going to your head. Come on, we’ll get you something to eat to soak up the alcohol.”

“You know what sounds good. A super greasy cheeseburger with extra bacon, and some cheesy fries, and a chocolate milkshake!” Dani told him excitedly.

“If that’s what you want, Dani girl.”

“Oh, we should ask everyone of they want to come!” Dani said even more enthusiastically. 

“You’re a happy drunk, Darlin.”

Dani hopped down from her seat at the bar and before Jax could stop her she gulped down the rest of her drink. “Ok, let’s go.” She took his hand and dragged him over to the pool table she was playing at earlier. “Hey guys! We are going to get cheeseburgers and milkshakes! You want to come? It’s gonna be so much fun!” She asked them all. Dani was happily surprised when they agreed and high-fived everyone with enthusiasm.

They walked outside and Jax took Dani’s keys, helping her into the passenger seat of her truck before climbing into the driver’s seat. They drove to the diner with Opie, Juice, Bobby, and Chibs following behind on their motorcycles.

When they arrived at the diner they pulled a few tables together and the waitress came over to take everyone’s order. 

“So Dani, how did you like playing pool?” Jax asked.

“It was fun. I’m on my way to becoming a pool shark, right Chibs?” Dani asked. 

“Maybe with just a wee bit more practice, lass.” Chibs told her.

“Well at least I can cross it off my never list.” Dani Filled Jax in on her list of things she hadnt done or didn’t know how to do. “I need to add card games to my list. Oh, and roller skating! And school. It might be fun to take a class or something, see what that’s like.”

“Man, I couldn’t wait to get out of school,” Juice said. “It was like being held prisoner for eight hours a day—” Juice was cut off by an elbow to his ribs from Bobby and the whole table turned to watch Dani’s reaction.

Dani smiled wryly. “Wait, there was an eight-hour prisoner program. Damn, if I knew that I wouldn’t have signed up for the immersion program.” She attempted to joke. “Guys I’m not going to break down over one accidental insinuation, especially not when I’m a happy drunk, as Jax put it. Oh look here’s our food.” Dani thanked god for the waitresses timing and eagerly dug into her meal.

As Jax was driving her home later she turned and looked at him. “Hey Jax?” she asked.

“Yeah Darlin?”

“Would you tell me about Tommy?”

Jax sighed. “What do you want to know?”

“Whatever you want to tell me. I just feel bad sometimes that I don’t remember him.”

“Don’t feel bad about that. It’s not your fault. You probably wouldn’t remember him much even if you were here. He died less than a year after you were taken. Tommy was a good kid, always wanting to follow me around, you both did. The two of you were like best friends, you were always playing together. I would get a little jealous of the two of you sometimes, because you were so close.” Jax confessed.

“I wonder why I don’t really remember him if we were so close. I mean I remembered you.”

“You should talk to Gemma. She’s got a bunch of pictures, and she might have some stuff of yours stored away. Could help you remember more,” he suggested.

“That’s a really good idea. I’ll call her tomorrow.” She offered him a smile. 

They pulled up to Opie’s and he helped her out of the truck as Opie pulled up next to him. 

The three of them walked inside and Opie got her a glass of water and some Tylenol, suggesting she take it now just in case, so she wouldn’t feel the effects of drinking in the morning. She took it gratefully and gave Opie a hug goodnight before Jax walked her to her room.

“Jax. I’m sorry I spazzed out on you earlier today. I should not have pushed at you like that. It wasn’t your fault the FBI agents got me so upset.” Dani said.

“I’m sorry too. I’m sorry I wasn’t available when you needed me. I promise I’ll always try and take your calls, and if I can’t I’ll try and have someone reach out to you or call you back as soon as I can, ok?

Dani nodded and hugged her brother, before climbing into bed. 

“Hey Jax” she called again.

“Yeah, Dani?” Jax answered.

“Will you tell me about our dad?”

“I take it back, you aren’t a happy drunk, you are a nostalgic drunk.” He chuckled. “I idolized that man growing up. He founded the Sons, you know. Opie and I used to ride our bikes around pretending they were motorcycles, just waiting for the day that we would get our kuttes. He used to tell me to look out for you and Tommy. After you and Tommy were both gone, I felt like I failed him because I couldn’t protect either of you.”

“Oh, Jax.” Dani said sadly.

“I know I couldn’t have saved Tommy, but I always felt so guilty about what happened to you. Dani, the day you disappeared, we were at the park, celebrating with the other club members families. Opie and I wanted to go off and play together. You and Tommy wanted to come with as always, but I didn’t want you guys hanging around so I complained to Mom and she made you both stay behind. I should have taken you with us. I should have protected you.” Jax confessed, his eyes shining with unshed tears.  
Dani reached out and grabbed his face. “Look at me Jackson.” She waited until he met her eyes. “Was I alone when you left to go with Opie?” Jax shook his head. “Was I with at least one of our parents?”

“Both,” confirmed Jax.

“Then you have nothing to feel guilty for. I was not your responsibility. You were a kid, who wanted to go do something with your best friend. What happened to me was not your fault.” Shen she was finished speaking she let go of Jax’s face to wrap her arms around him in a hug, which he returned fiercely. 

They sat that way for a few minutes before Jax pulled away. “You should get some sleep.” He told her as he rose and headed for her bedroom door. 

“Jax, will you stay on the sofa tonight? Just in case?” Dani didn’t want to say she was afraid that the dreams would come stronger tonight because of their discussions but she could tell he knew why she wanted him to stay.

“Yeah, I’ll stay here. I’m going to need to take your truck tomorrow if you want to come with me to TM. You can hang out. Maybe help Gemma around the office for a while.” Jax said.

Dani nodded. “That sounds good. I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Goodnight Dani.” Jax said as he turned off the lights and shut the door behind him.

Dani lay down and stared at the ceiling, processing her conversation with Jax. As she drifted off to sleep, she prayed for an uneventful night and a way to show Jax she meant what she said. It was not his fault.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Dani was up at 5 AM. She quietly made her way into the kitchen to make some coffee. She poured herself a cup while she scrambled some eggs and fried up some bacon, then put them both in the oven to keep warm while she went back to her room to take a shower. She dressed carefully that morning in a pair of dark gray skinny jeans, a blue and white striped tee shirt and a lightweight gray sweater. She knew she would be seeing Gemma for a good part of the day and always felt a need to try and impress her. She pulled her wet hair back into a ponytail and went back out into the main room. She saw Jax sitting up on the sofa rubbing the sleep out of his eyes and Opie was in the kitchen pouring himself coffee. Dani held out her cup to him, silently asking for a refill. He obliged, filling her cup and passing her the sugar so she could sweeten it. Once it was sweetened to her liking she set it at her place at the table and pulled the breakfast out of the oven, grabbed some plates from the cabinet and divided the eggs and bacon equally onto the three plates. 

She passed one plate to Opie, who had grabbed some forks, before grabbing the other two and bringing them to the table. The two were just sitting down when Jax came into the room, poured himself some coffee and joined them. 

“How are you doing this morning, Dani? Feeling hung over?” Jax asked in between bites.

“I’m fine, actually.” She told him, grateful that she didn’t have to worry about dealing with a hangover and spending the day at TM. She had decided that she was going to try and talk to Gemma today. She had some serious questions that she needed answers too. She only hoped Gemma would be receptive to telling her what she wanted to know. “I don’t think I would have been quite so tipsy if I had thought to eat sooner. Guess I know better for next time.”

“Next time?” Jax asked with amusement.

“I’m not going to make it a daily habit, but I imagine that I’ll wind up having a drink from time to time. Especially with you around.”

The rest of the morning passed quickly. Dani cleaned up the kitchen, sending Jax and Opie to get ready for work. Once the dishes were washed and put away, Danni went outside to water the garden. On her way back inside, she ran into Opie, who was just stepping out on the deck to let her know they were ready. He had two travel mugs of coffee and he held one out for her. “Thought you might like one for the road.” He told her.

Dani accepted it and took a sip, smiling when she tasted the perfect balance of bitter coffee and sugar. “Thanks.” She said simply. Opie nodded and stepped to the side, allowing her to enter the house in front of him. She grabbed her bag, making sure it contained the book she was reading in case she got bored and she was ready to go. 

They walked outside where Jax was already waiting in the driver’s seat of her truck. Opie opened the passenger door and she climber in and slid over to the middle of the bench, making room for Opie to get in after her. They had decided they would all ride in together, since Jax’s bike was still at the clubhouse, and Opie would drive her home that evening in the truck. Dani did not feel as cramped as she thought she was going to; she had a couple inches of space between her and the man on either side of her. 

The ride was short, so it was not long before they were pulling into the lot. They got out of the truck, Jax heading to the clubhouse for a change of clothes, Opie and Dani for the garage office. Gemma was already there, booting up the office computer. Dani and Opie both greeted her with a good morning. Opie punched in with the time clock and took a list of repos from Gemma, telling her he would see her later. 

Dani asked what she could help with and was given a stack of paperwork to file. Dani stayed busy most of the morning, filing. Occasionally a customer would come in to pick up or drop off a vehicle, but Dani would just keep filing while Gemma dealt with them. She had seen Opie come and go a couple of times, bringing back a few vehicles that were being repossessed before starting work on a bike in the garage.

When Dani was finished filing, Gemma had her pull up a chair and was showing her how to enter customers information into the computer. Dani had never done any type of data entry and her computer skills were somewhat limited, she was struggling to pick it up as quickly as she would have liked. Gemma ordered them some lunch and they took a break to eat it, sitting on opposite sides of the desk so they would have more room. Dani took three bites of her sandwich before she set it down. Gathering up her courage she spoke. 

“Hey Mom?”

Gemma looked up at her. “Yeah Dani?”

“Um, I was wondering, if I could ask you a few questions, er, rather if we could talk about some things.”

“What’s on your mind?”

“I was just wondering if you could tell me what exactly happened the day I was kidnapped, and what happened that made you decide to stop looking for me, to have me declared dead?”

“I don’t like to talk about that time,” was Gemma’s curt reply.

“I understand that. It’s not something I’m extremely comfortable with either, but I feel like I need to know,” Dani said.

“You haven’t exactly been forthcoming with where you’ve been these last 20 years, but no ones pushed you for answers on that.” Gemma defended. 

“I’m trying, Gem- er- Mom. I’m trying to have enough trust in the people around me to be able to share what happened to me. And part of me having that trust in you is to know what happened, because without knowing it feels like you gave up on me. Between that and the way you’ve kept me at arm’s length since I’ve been home—”

“Me keep YOU at arm’s length, that’s rich sweetheart.” Gemma scoffed raising her voice. “You’re so damn jumpy you don’t let anyone close enough to try.”

“That’s bullshit!” Dani yelled back “Jax and I are close, Opie and I are good. Hell I even spent the evening here last night playing pool with Bobby, Juice and Chibs. Everything was fine. You’ve barely tried. I’ve barely seen you since I’ve been back. There have been six people in and out of this office this morning and you talked to every single one of them more than you have spoken to me today until I tried to ask you about this.” 

Gemma stood up and stormed out of the office, Dani hot on her heels. “I’m done listening to this crap,” Gemma said. “You need to stop playing the perpetual victim, and stop being so damn ungrateful.”

Dani reached out and grabbed Gemma’s arm to stop her and Gemma whirled around, striking out on instinct, slapping Dani’s face. Gemma tried to reach forward to start to apologize, but Dani took a step back. “I am ungrateful,” Dani began, “I am ungrateful that I was kidnapped, I am ungrateful that I was held captive by pedophiles who locked me in a closet for days without food when I didn’t follow orders. I am ungrateful that I had inappropriate touches from ‘uncles’ since I was four years old. I’m ungrateful that I was sold, traded like a fucking animal whenever I grew too old for a particular pedophile’s tastes. I am ungrateful that as soon as I started having periods I started being raped on a daily basis. I’m ungrateful that some asshole carved up my back because I was too old and I’d seen too much and they were going to get rid of me. I’m ungrateful that despite all of that I never gave up and fought my way out, and found my way home to a mother who embraced me of all of one second, who I’ve barely been able to bond with over a cup of fucking coffee. I’m really fucking ungrateful that when I try to understand what happened to me I’m told I’m ungrateful, leaving me with nothing else to think but that the person that was supposed to protect me failed me and gave up on me.” Dani realized she was yelling. She also realized that they had an audience. She took in Opie and the others that were in the garage standing outside the bay doors. She noticed Jax and some other members of the club had come over from the clubhouse and were standing on her other side. She would later curse her timing for having yet another ‘moment’ outside the club house. “Well there, now you know what happened to me. So, now are you gonna tell me what happened that day or why you had me declared dead?” Dani waited several moments, but Gemma never spoke, just continued to stare at her with equal measures of sadness and shock. “Guess not.” Stepping closer to Gemma she lowered her voice. “You raise a hand against me in violence again, I will not be held responsible for my actions. I think its best we stay away from each other for a while. That hasn’t been an issue for you though, has it?”

With that, Dani stormed past her and off the lot, ignoring the sound of Jax calling for her to come back. She just walked away. Her vision was cloudy with tears and she was struggling to breath. She knew she had walked maybe a block and knew she couldn’t keep it together for long when she heard the rumble of engines. She turned and she could see Jax coming up on his bike and Opie right behind him in her truck. Jax got off his bike and came up to her. “Dani, you ok?” He asked cautiously.   
Dani shook her head. “No, not really. So you heard all that? Everyone heard all that, right?”

“Yeah, we heard.” Jax nodded. 

“Well now you know…” Dani said, and the thought of that made her stomach churn. She turned and took a few steps away from Jax, and she bent over and lost the contents of her stomach. She could feel Jax’s hand at her back and she wanted to push him away but didn’t have the energy. He pressed his bandana in her hand for her to use to wipe her face as her heaving gave way to sobs, and she felt Jax’s arms move around her to embrace her. She collapsed into his arms clutching on to him as she cried. 

Dani could hear Jax speaking to her, but she couldn’t make out what he was saying. She felt him lift her up and carry her before putting her down again. “—put you in the truck with Opie, but I’ll be right behind you ok?” Dani nodded. “I need you to try and calm down Dani. Can you do that?” Dani nodded again and took a few shuddering breaths, though she could not stop the tears from falling. When her breathing became slightly more regular Jax nodded. “Good. Let’s get you in the truck.” He opened the door and helped her inside, going so far as to secure her seatbelt for her. “Alright, let’s get you home.” 

“No.” Dani shook her head. “Can we, can we just drive for a while? I don’t really want to be anywhere right now.”

Jax looked at Opie, who gave him a nod. “Ok, we’ll just drive. If you need anything, just tell Opie and we’ll stop.” Dani nodded and Jax shut the door. Dani rolled down her window, and as she heard the rumble of Jax’s engine, she felt the truck move as it drove past the outskirts of town. Dani watched the scenery change as she stared out the open window. After a while she turned and watched Opie as he drove, and he glanced her way. 

“You need something, Dani?” He asked. 

Dani reached out and took his right hand from the wheel and held onto it with her left. “Just don’t let go.”

Opie squeezed her hand, before lifting their joined hands to press a kiss to the back of her hand. “I won’t let go. I promise.”


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

Dani was not sure how long they had been driving, she sat there, tears streaming down her face, Opie’s thumb moving comfortingly across her knuckles, scenery flying by, but Dani didn’t really see it.

Opie’s low voice broke through her thoughts. “Dani, we have to stop soon for gas. Do you want anything?”

Dani nodded. “Maybe some water.” She said, her voice cracking. A few minutes later they were pulling into a gas station and stopped next to a pump. “Where’s Jax?” Dani asked.

“He’s right behind us. Do you want me to send him over while I fill the tank and get you some water?” Opie asked and Dani nodded. “Ok, I’ll send him over and be back in a minute.” He squeezed her hand briefly before letting go and getting out of the truck. 

A moment later Jax was leaning in through the open window. “Hey Darlin. How are you doing?” Jax asked.

Dani just shrugged. “I’m sorry. That’s not how I imagined telling you about me. I don’t understand how it went so wrong. I just wanted to talk to her, to understand things, but it went so wrong.” 

Jax shook his head. “You have nothing to apologize for. I don’t know what to say about Gemma. I’m so sorry Dani.”

“It’s not your fault.” Dani said. “I don’t want to talk anymore about Gemma right now.”

“Ok.” Jax told her. “Christ Dani, that’s really what happened to you?” He asked. 

“Minus the horrible details, but yeah, that’s what happened.”

“Tell me what you know about these people that hurt you Dani, and I swear to God I will find them, and I will make them pay for what they did to you.” Jax said. Dani could see the tightness in his jaw, the flash of anger in his eyes. 

Dani undid her seatbelt, pushed the door open, forcing Jax to take a step back and Dani stepped out of the car, reached for Jax, pulling him close and wrapping her arms around him. He was quick to return the gesture, squeezing her tightly against him. Dani sighed. “Jax, you have no idea how much a huge part of me wishes I could tell you where they were and let you handle it. But I honestly have no idea where I was. It could literally be anywhere in the country, hell I don’t even know if I was in the country or not the whole time. What I do know is these people have money and powerful connections, and to try and go after them is too dangerous.”

“Dani, someone needs to stop these people.”

“I know. Look, I can’t think about this now. Can we please talk about this later?”

Jax sighed but agreed, pulling back to look down at her. “You look a little pale. Come sit back down.” He said guiding her to take a step back and return to her seat in the truck. “We won’t talk about it anymore for a while, ok?”

Opie came back a few minutes later, handing her a large bottle of water. Dani took a few large gulps of water before replacing the cap and looked up at Jax and Opie. They were both watching her expectantly. 

“Where do you want to go?” Jax asked her. 

Dani just shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe we should just go home.”

“Are you sure?” Jax asked again and Dani nodded.

“I’m less… whatever I was earlier. Let’s just go home.”

Jax nodded and they stepped back and closed the door. Dani put her seatbelt on as Opie came around and got in the truck. Jax said he would be right behind them and see her at the house and Dani nodded. 

Opie handed her a bag as he started the car. “I picked up a couple things in case you might want to try and eat something.”

Dani peaked in the bag and saw a granola bar, a bag of Chex mix, and some chocolate. Dani didn’t take anything out of the bag, just set it aside. “Thank you.” She told him.

Opie just nodded, put the truck in drive and reached out for her hand. Dani immediately took it, enjoying the comfort of his touch. 

Dani let herself get lost in her thoughts once again on the ride home. She was relieved that they knew what she had been through, but she was also worried that they would see how broken, how damaged she was, and they would decide she wasn’t worth the effort. Dani tried to push those thoughts away, but she could not get that nagging feeling out of her mind. 

When they got back to the house Dani, Opie and Jax walked in quietly. Dani went into the kitchen and pulled a carton of rocky road ice cream out of the freezer and began dishing herself a bowl. She carried her bowl to the kitchen and sat down at the table. Dani could feel Jax and Opie watching her. “What?” She asked tiredly. 

Jax sat down across from her. “I wanted to ask you about something you said, something that happened to you, but we don’t have to talk about it now if you don’t want to.”

“I think I’m beyond breaking down at this point if that’s what you are worried about. What do you want to know?” Dani replied. 

“You said that they were going to get rid of you, that someone carved into your back.” Jax said.

Dani nodded. “I think I was just too old for the man who had me.” Her voice was almost robotic. “He decided to… sell… me to a man he knew who. This man told me he was going to kill me, but he was going to take his time. He wanted to ‘test his merchandise’ before he took me, so he had everyone leave the house where I was being held. He raped me, and then he tied me down on my stomach. He burned my back with a cigar, kept lighting it, just to put it out again. He started to whip me, he said he liked the lines it left but didn’t like that it wasn’t breaking my skin enough, so he took a knife-“ Dani paused to tale a breath. “He took a knife and began tracing the welts from the whip, slicing my back open as he went. Then he started slicing across my lower back. I didn’t know what he was doing, but I could feel myself losing blood, growing weaker. He stopped eventually and untied me and started to turn me over, but he got a phone call and stepped outside. He was distracted. I… I escaped. I was walking down the side of the road, and the next thing I know I am cleaned up, wearing different clothes, its almost 24 hours later and I’m on a bus. I don’t know if someone helped me or if I did it on my own on autopilot. I don’t know where I was when I got on the bus or what direction I was going in, I just got off. And that’s when Alice found me.”

Dani took a bite of her ice cream as she eyed Jax and Opie, who was leaning against the wall, the stiffness in his posture overshadowing the casual pose.

‘’Will you show us?” Opie asked. 

“My back? I don’t know. I carry a reminder of what they did to me, of what they made me. I literally carry it on my back every day, and I have tried so hard to keep it hidden because I didn’t want anybody giving me looks of pity, or not wanting me around anymore.”

“That’s not going to happen.” Opie told her. She stared at him for a moment and looked to Jax, who nodded and reached out to squeeze her hand. 

“All right.” Dani agreed reluctantly, rising to her feet and walking into the living room. Jax and Opie followed her, but she stopped them just at the entryway. “Stay there.” She said and walked a few steps further. She turned around and removed her gray sweater, tossing it onto the chair in the living room. She took a few deep breaths before pulling the back of her shirt up and over her head. 

“Jesus Christ,” She heard from Jax at the same time she heard Opie’s “Fuck.” She stayed there for a moment, letting them get a good look at her back. The cigar burns were primarily focused on her left shoulder and shoulder blade, there looked to be about a dozen of the circular burn marks. Their eyes then took on the cross hatching of lash marks that were etched into her skin with a knife, starting with the one that curled over her right shoulder, ending just above the top of her underarm. Another dozen or so lines crisscrossed across her back, but what had really caused them alarm were the scars that marked her lower back. The jagged lines were more than just more scars; they were interwoven together to spell out a particularly cruel word: WHORE. 

Dani knew that it was the markings across her lower back that bothered her more than all the rest. She knew she was a victim, that she was unwilling, but she couldn’t help but think sometimes that the word applied to her, more so since it was etched into her skin.

Dani quickly pulled her shirt back over her head, covering her back from view. “Show and tell is over,” she said turning around. Both Jax and Opie moved closer to, she was sure, try and offer her comfort, but she had had enough of that for the time being. “Go outside, smoke a fucking cigarette or something, and leave me alone until I finish my damn ice cream.”

Dani stood there staring at them until they turned and headed towards the sliding doors leading to the backyard. She sat down at the table as they glanced back at her before stepping out onto the back deck. Dani picked up her spoon and returned to her now slightly melted bowl of ice cream. She could see them glancing in at her periodically as they stood outside smoking and talking. Dani took her time with her treat, and when she was done stood and began rinsing her bowl. She heard the sliding door open and the guys come inside. 

Dani set her bowl down and turned off the water. She walked over and gave each of them a quick hug before saying, “Now I am done with the emotional roller coaster for today, ok?” When Jax and Opie nodded she forced a smile on her face. “Good, now I have no intention of cooking tonight, so unless one of Good, now I have no intention of cooking tonight, so unless one of you is making something, I suggest we order in some Chinese food.”

The rest of the night passed without incident, everyone putting on a good front of acting normally. They watched a couple movies while they ate their takeout. Jax offered to stay but Dani declined, told him she didn’t think shed be sleeping tonight and it wasn’t right for both of them to lose sleep. Jax made her promise to call if she needed anything, no matter what time it was, and she gave him a hug goodnight before pushing him out the door. 

Dani sat on the sofa next to Opie and she took his hand in hers as she sat staring at the tv, not really paying attention. “I know I said no more emotional crap tonight, but I need to ask you something. Do you think any differently of me now that you’ve seen…”

“No, if anything, I think you are stronger than I thought you were.”

“I don’t feel very strong right now. I’ve had a meltdown twice in as many days, spilled my sad story in front of everyone, got a smackdown from my mother, who would rather hit me than answer a basic fucking question, and literally exposed my biggest insecurity to you and Jax. I feel like I’m barely keeping myself together.” Dani confessed to him.

“I think you are looking at things all wrong, babe. You handled the feds; they won’t be able to bother you anymore. You shared what happened to you with your family and the club. That’s got to be a big burden off your shoulders if you think about it, even if it wasn’t how you thought that would go down. That shit with Gemma is messed up, but you took a hit to the face and haven’t even acknowledged it hurts despite the fact that you’ve got quite the shiner there,” he brought his hand up to brush gently against the side of her face as his other arm wrapped around her. “You didn’t have a meltdown, as you put it, until after you handled your shit and were with people that you trusted to keep you safe, and you trusted me and Jax with something that makes you uncomfortable and let us share that burden, and I promise it hasn’t changed how we feel about you, except maybe to let those feelings grow stronger.”

“How do you do that?” Dani asked in wonder, bringing her hands up to rest on his shoulders. “How can you take almost every worry I have and spin it into a good thing? How can you just make everything better just like that?”

“Because I care, and because you let me.”

“Opie, I...” Dani whispered as Opie’s arms tightened around her.

“What do you want Dani?” Opie asked her, leaning in so his face was inches from her own. 

“I want to be strong enough for this…for you. I want to be close to you.” She confessed.

“You are,” he told her. “I’m right here.”

Dani searched Opie’s eyes for something, she wasn’t sure what, but when she saw the passion and caring shining at her from behind his dark gaze, she closed the distance between their lips and her eyes drifted shut.

Kissing Opie was like something out of a dream. His lips were warm, soft and yet firm, gently guiding her. When she felt his tongue ghost against her lips, she opened her mouth to him without hesitation, it was like the electricity she felt each time they touched, only this was ten times greater. As their tongues danced, she let out a tiny moan, causing Opie’s arms to tighten around her. After a few moments Opie pulled away, eliciting a small whimper from Dani. He chuckled and pressed a few kisses to the side of her face as he pulled her so she was sitting in his lap, and he pulled her close so that she was cradled against his chest, listening to his heartbeat. She sighed from content and snuggled closer as they held each other.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Dani sat there in Opie’s arms, taking comfort in his warmth, in the strength of his arms. She had never felt quite so safe than she did just then. She could tell by his slow, even breathing and the way his arms had loosened around her that he had fallen asleep. It would be easy to let herself drift off as well, but she was worried about the dreams that might follow her slumber, so she cautiously climbed out of Opie’s lap and gently draped a throw blanket over him.

She started the coffee pot, went into her room and grabbed her journal. Returning to the kitchen she fixed herself a cup of coffee, sat at the table, opened her journal to the first blank page, and, putting pen to paper, began scribbling away. 

Dani sat there writing and sketching for hours. She found the process both daunting and cathartic. Occasionally shedding tears, she filled page after page, pausing to take an occasional sip of coffee and read over what she had already written. 

She had been sitting there for a few hours when she hear Opie stir, and she finished her thought and closed her journal and looked up to see Opie entering the kitchen. “Hey. I didn’t wake you, did I?” She asked. 

Opie shook his head no as he came up to her and held out his hands to her. She put her hands in his and let him pull her to her feet. Dani wrapped her arms around Opie’s middle, burying her face in his chest and took a deep breath, breathing him in. Opie’s arms wound around her upper back, giving her a quick squeeze before one hand moved to rest at the small of her back, the other moving to stroke along her jawline before coming to rest underneath her chin. He gave her a nudge, guiding her to look up at him and gave her a slow, sweet kiss. He pulled back and his eyes searched her face. 

“You get any sleep?” he asked, his voice low and gravelly, still full of sleep.

Dani shook her head, looking up at him. “No, with all the shit that’s happened in the last two days, I know as soon as I close my eyes that I’ll have one of those dreams again. The night ended on a pretty good note, and I didn’t want to spoil it.” Dani blushed slightly as she finished speaking. 

Opie chucked and ran the back of his hand over her cheekbone, making her blush further. 

“You should try and get some rest,” He told her. 

“I can’t,” Dani said, shaking her head again. 

Opie gently pulled her back into the living room, saying “Come and lay down with me. We’ll find something to watch on TV, just try to relax. If you fall asleep, I’ll be right here. I’ll wake you up if it seems you’re having a bad dream, but you need to get some rest.”

Dani hesitated but nodded. Opie stretched out onto the sofa and scooted back to make room for her. She sat on the edge of the sofa and took the remote that Opie handed her. She skimmed through the channels, settling on an old show, Bewitched, and turned the volume down low before carefully laying down next to Opie, her back resting against his chest. He grabbed the throw blanket she had covered him with earlier and covered them both before gently wrapping his arms around her, pulling her a little closer.

“Ok?” he asked her. 

Dani had never willingly allowed a man to be quite so close to her, but this was Opie, and she knew she would be safe with him. She nodded. “Ok.” She snuggled further back into   
him to settle in for the night.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dani was surprised when she woke up the next morning. She didn’t remember drifting off into sleep, but what was surprising to her was that not only did she not have a bad dream, or no dream but dreamed she was laying in a field of wild flowers, looking up at a blue sky and picking out clouds shaped liked animals while being warmed by the sun.

She was warmed, not by the sun, but by Opie, whose heat radiated into her. She let her fingers trail up and down Opie’s arm that was still wrapped around her, following the lines of his muscles. She smiled to herself and began to stretch when she suddenly froze. She could feel something hard against her back and realized it was… Opie. She suddenly could not breathe. Feeling the sudden need to escape, she jerked Opie’s arm away from her and tried to stand, but her legs were caught up in the blanket and she tumbled to the floor gasping for breath. The sudden movement caused Opie to jerk awake. He sat up and took in her state on the floor. 

“Are you ok?” He asked, starting to reach out for her. 

Dani scrambled away, climbing to her feet. “I’m fine.” She said quickly. “I just—uh—I need to go to the bathroom.” She turned and hurried towards her room, ignoring Opie as he called out to her. She shut her door and leaned against it. “Breathe.” She told herself. 

She knew that Opie had been asleep, that he wasn’t trying anything, he’d had no control over…that. But in that moment, she was no longer in the safety of Opie’s arms, she had flashed back and it was other men’s’ arms, trapping her, other men pressing their hardness against her, and she had to get away from the situation. She cried out in frustration and thumped the back of her head against the door. Taking a moment to collect herself, Dani stepped away from the door and went into the bathroom, she used the facilities and then took a shower, turning the water as hot as she could stand. She scrubbed at her skin as if she were scrubbing away the memories. She scrubbed at her scalp equally hard as she washed her hair. She looked at the redness of her skin and slowly turned the water to cool, letting herself relax as she felt the heat escape her body. Stepping out of the shower, she wrapped her towel around her and brushed her hair and teeth, washed her face, applied moisturizer. She did this all while her mind focused on one thing; what to say to Opie. She felt like she had ruined something that hadn’t even started. 

She pulled her hair over her shoulder and quickly braided it. She pulled on some underwear before dressing in a pair of shorts and a black, flowing racerback tank. She grabbed a lightweight, semi-sheer sweater that she would normally wear over a tank like she had on but paused. Opie had already seen her scars, and if she was going to talk to him, honestly talk to him, then she could do so as herself, without the mental security that having the extra layers usually provided her with. She carried the sweater in one hand and with the other grasped the doorknob. Giving herself a mental pep talk she opened the door and went out into the main room. 

She could smell coffee and as she rounded the corner to the kitchen, she could see Opie leaning against the counter by the coffeepot, cup in his hand. It appeared he too, had gotten ready for the day, dressed in a clean pair of jeans, a dark shirt, and his ever-present beanie. 

“Hey.” She said quietly, draping her sweater nervously over one of the chairs at the kitchen table. 

“Hey.” He returned. “Coffee?” He asked holding out a second cup of coffee. 

“Thanks.” She reached out and took the cup from him. She made eye contact with him briefly before her eyes began darting around the kitchen awkwardly. She wanted to talk to him but wasn’t sure where to begin.

Opie spoke first. “Look, this morning… I’m sor—“

“Don’t.” Dani interjected. “Don’t apologize, you didn’t do anything. That was me, my shit. I’m the one who should apologize.” Dani paused and took a breath. “I feel like I messed this up already.” She confessed. “I’m a fucking mess. I like you, Opie, I really do, but I don’t know if I can be…enough. I don’t know if, or when I could ever offer more than this. I’m just a broken girl who likes to kiss you but will occasionally freak out when you try and touch me.”

Opie shook his head and set down his coffee. “You’re a strong woman, whose had a hard life. I’ve known that since you came back. I believe you can get past this; I know it will take time, maybe a lot of time. I’m not asking for anything. I’m not going to push you. I like you; I like kissing you too. And I’m not asking for anything else right now. I like being around you. That’s enough for me. When you are ready for more, I’m ok with that too.” He finished with a smirk. Dani chuckled and gave him a small smile. “Look you like me, right?” He asked. Dani nodded. “And you like being around me?” Dani nodded again and he took a step closer to her. “And you said you like kissing me?” He reached out ant gently put his hands on her hips and pulled him closed. She nodded again, flushing slightly. “Can you let that be enough?”

Dani nodded one more time. “Yeah, that’s enough,” she said looking up at him. Opie brought his hands up to her bare shoulders and she shivered at the touch. He leaned down and captured her lips in a sweet kiss.

“Good.” He said when he pulled back. “Did you have anything you wanted to do today?” 

“Not really. Don’t you have work today?” Dani asked. 

“Nope. It’s Saturday, don’t have much going on with the club right now. Thought we could go for a ride on the bike. Then, maybe later we could get a fire going in the pit in the back yard. Pick up some beers, invite a few of the guys over, maybe throw some burgers on the grill, and I think I recall you saying something about smores the other day.” 

“The ride sounds like fun, the burgers the fire the smores, all fun. I am a little nervous about seeing the guys again.” When Opie looked at her with concern, she continued. “It’s just that… they all know now. I’m not used to people knowing what happened to me. It makes me nervous; I keep thinking will they treat me differently, what must they think of me, stuff like that.”

“Give them a chance, for me. I know they won’t treat you any differently. They know you’re a Teller; strong, stubborn, can overcome anything.”

“Ok, we’ll have them over.” Dani nodded, giving him a smile. “Who knows, maybe I can even go the whole night without spazzing out in front of everyone.” She joked.

“You’ll do great.” Opie told her, kissing her again. “Go get your shoes and we’ll go for a ride.”

Dani gave him a real smile that time and hurried to her room, slipped on a pair of canvas shoes and came back out to see Opie sliding on his cut. She grabbed her sweater and pulled it on, meeting him at the door. Opie grabbed his keys off a hook, and they walked out to his bike. As usual the helmet was given to Dani, and she snapped it on and climbed on the bike behind him. 

Opie asked her if she wanted to go anywhere in particular and she just shook her head. “I just want to feel the wind. The scenery is so beautiful here we could drive just about anywhere, and I would be fine.”

Opie nodded and started the bike. Dani wrapped her arms tightly around him, and he put his hands over hers, giving her hand a squeeze before pulling out onto the road and driving off. Dani rested her cheek against Opie’s back and smiled as they flew down the road out of town. Dani let the feelings of joy, excitement, and the content feeling of being close to Opie and she hoped that she would never lose that feeling.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Dani was smiling brightly as they pulled back into the driveway later that morning. She climbed off the bike and removed her helmet, handing it to Opie who wrapped his arms around her and led her into the house. 

“Thank you for taking me for a ride.” Dani said, wrapping her arms around him. 

Opie chuckled, returning her hug. “Anytime.” He kissed the top of her head. “It seems to help you relax, and you seem to like it.”

“I do like it. I feel like I can just let go of everything and just…be, you know." She told him. 

“Yeah, I get it,” he said, tilting his head down to give her a quick kiss. “I’m going to give the guys a call, and we can go to the store, pick up supplies for tonight.” 

Dani nodded. “I’ll go check and see what we may need.”

“Gonna make another list?” he teased. 

“If I do, I promise this one will be less than two pages,” she joked back and headed to the kitchen to check the contents of the fridge.

Dani kept herself busy while Opie went in his room and made some calls. She made a mental list of some things to pick up and started cleaning up around the house. Dani was struggling to get the vacuum out of the utility closet; it was stuck on something she could not see. She could hear Opie finishing up a call as he came out of his room and she gave him a pouting face as she looked between him and the vacuum. Opie ended his call and lifted the vacuum out of the closet, dislodging it from the cords it was catching on. 

“Don’t worry about that now,” he told her, setting the vacuum aside. “You ready to go to the store?”

Dani nodded, grabbed her bag and she let Opie guide her out the door and to his truck.

Opie started the vehicle and pulled out of the driveway. Once they were on their way, their hands instinctively found their way to each other. They were driving to the store when a thought occurred to Dani. “Um what are we doing tonight? About you and me, I mean. Should we avoid… this…” she gestured to their hands, “or is it ok that they know that we are doing whatever it is that we are doing? And what about Jax?”

“That’s up to you,” Opie told her. “I’m fine if the guys know that we’re together. Jax is coming over early to help with a few things. I was going to say something to him then.”

“He’s going to have a field day with this. He’s been teasing me about you ever since that night they came to get you and we were asleep on the sofa.” She groaned at the thought of Jax’s torturing her with this new information. 

“You don’t think he’s going to have a problem with this do you?” Opie asked her, misinterpreting her concern.

“No, I’m just thinking of the teasing I will have to endure.” She began to blush a little. “I know he won’t have a problem with this. I, uh kind of asked him about it already, in a hypothetical kind of way, and he didn’t seem to mind.”

“You did?” he asked. She could hear both the humor and surprise in his tone. “When was this?”

“Sometime between then and now.” She said rolling her eyes at him. “He might be a little surprised at how soon this is coming about, but I think he will be ok.”

The last few minutes of the drive were quiet but when Opie pulled the truck into a space and parked, he pulled her across the seat and kissed her. When she pulled away a few moments later, she breathlessly asked “What was that for?”

“Because before you even thought you were ready, you were talking to Jax about me and you still don’t see how strong you are. Also, because that I like that you like me that much.” He told her, opening the door and pulling her out of the truck with him. He slung an arm over her shoulder as they walked into the store. 

They grabbed a cart and made a quick stop in the produce section to get a few fresh tomatoes while she asked Opie to grab some lettuce. He returned a moment later tossing a head of iceberg lettuce in the cart. She made a face and she explained that to her, Iceberg lettuce was nothing but crunchy water, and she could not stand it. She traded it for the greener, leafier, romaine lettuce, telling him it not only tasted better but was better for them as well. Opie just laughed and led them over to the deli where they picked up a couple large containers of potato salad. Opie assured her that potato salad and some chips were plenty for sides, they were not doing a sit-down meal, that everyone would likely be standing around the backyard with paper plates while they ate their food. He conceded that she could make some dessert, but not to go too crazy as they were making smores.

Dani felt like they were getting some weird looks at the deli department and again at the meat department when they were loading up on ground beef, hot dogs and bratwursts. Dani felt people eyeing them warily, some of them giving her sympathetic looks. She brushed it off as they were getting hot dog and hamburger buns and various flavors of chips and dip, then stocking up on marshmallows, chocolate bars and graham crackers. They stopped at the liquor department before checking out, Opie grabbed a couple of cases of beer, and when Dani expressed that she did not think she would like beer, he grabbed a smaller case of hard cider that he thought she might like so she wouldn’t be left out if she wanted a drink. 

She again felt like they were getting weird looks from the girl at the checkout counter. This was not like the last time they went shopping where people gave them a natural berth because of Opie’s size and intimidation factor, it was like people were actively staring and judging. Opie paid the grocery bill and they pushed the cart out As they were loading everything into the bed of the truck, she asked Opie if he had noticed the strange way people had looked at them.

Opie sighed before speaking. “They probably saw this,” he brought his hand up to brush the side of her face, reminding her that Gemma had struck her the previous day and it had left a mark. “They likely thought that either you came to the club for protection against the asshole who hit you, or they thought that I was the asshole who hit you.”

Dani gasped. She kept forgetting the mark was there. “They didn’t—but you would never—and they just—” she spluttered and turned to look at him.

“You’re right, I would never. You knowing that is all that matters. Who gives a fuck what some random assholes think?” He asked, then leaned down to press a ghost of a kiss on the side of her face where the bruising was. 

Dani smiled at him but couldn’t help but feel bad that people might have assumed that Opie was at fault for her injury and had half a mind to go back into that store and demand to know what was wrong with them. Instead she got in the truck and closed the door, Opie pushed the cart towards the cart corral, and got in as well. As they started heading for home, Dani pulled down the sun visor to look at her reflection in the mirror. The skin underneath her eye and along the side of her face were varying shades of blue and purple.   
“Damnit Gemma,” she murmured to herself. “I’m sorry,” she said to Opie.

“You didn’t do anything wrong. Nothing to apologize for.” He told her and offered his hand out to her. Instead of accepting, Dani scooted over so she was sitting in the middle of the truck, right next to Opie, leaned he head on his shoulder and then pulled his hand into her lap before entwining his hand within her own. They stayed that way in a comfortable silence the rest of the way home. They carried in the groceries together, then Opie left her alone to put the beer in the garage fridge to get cold and clean to grill. Dani make quick work of putting the groceries away, leaving out the hamburger and grabbing an onion. She transferred all the ground beef into a large bowl and began dicing up the onion. When she had cut up enough, she tossed it in the bowl with the ground beef and started adding several different seasonings. When she had added enough, she pushed her sleeves up past he elbows and shoved her hands into the bowl to begin combining ingredients. She hated touching raw meat, but it was a necessary evil, and as Alice had taught her, it was the quickest way to blend the seasonings and onion in with the meat. 

When everything was well mixed, Dani began forming patties, and placing them on a platter that she had pulled out. When she had covered the platter with a layer of burger patties she covered them in wax paper, and stated forming another layer of patties, continuing in this way until she had finished, She managed to squeeze the platter into the fridge and washed her hands thoroughly. She then grabbed the vacuum that had been set aside earlier and vacuumed the living room and hallways. When she was finished, she returned the vacuum to the closet and returned to the kitchen, washing up once again, and began to prepare a double batch of brownies, preheating the oven.   
Once she had those baking, she started on creating chocolate chip cookie dough, though instead of forming individual cookies, she pressed the dough into the baking sheet, making one giant cooked that she would cut up into bars. She filled three baking sheets this way and set them aside. She had a few minutes before the brownies would need to be pulled out.

She was thinking about what she would need to do next when she heard a knock at the door as she heard it open and Jax called out a hello. She went to greet her brother with a hug. When she released him, he grabbed her face gently and turned it to look at the damage. “Damn, she got you good, didn’t 

“This? It’s just a love tap, I’m sure,” Dani replied sarcastically. “Opie’s out back, I think he may need some help.” She told him as the timer went off and she hurried into the kitchen. to pull out the brownies. She checked that they were done before adjusting the temperature for the cookies. She turned in time to see Jax head out the sliding door. She started washing the dishes she had dirtied, not only because they needed to be done, but because it allowed her to look out the window above the sink to see out in the yard in an effort to spy on her two favorite guys. She couldn’t hear anything of course, and all she could see was them embrace in a bro hug and start working. Giving up, she loaded all the dishes in the dishwasher and started it up, then slid the cookie trays into the oven. 

She pulled out the fresh tomatoes and sliced them in thin, even slices. She washed the lettuce and chopped the top part off, effectively making pieces that would fit nicely on a burger. When the timer went off again, she removed the cookie sheets from the oven and set them aside to cool. She turned off the oven, cut the brownies into squares before transferring the into a container, then doing the same with the cookie bars. 

Finding herself once again with a sink full of dishes she quickly scrubbed the pans before drying them and putting them away. While she had been working, she had gotten flour on her sweater so she removed it, leaving her again in her black racerback top from that morning. 

She put the sweater in the laundry basket in her room and went outside to see if the guys needed any help. She could see the grill had been set up and could smell the burning charcoal. A long folding table was set up near the grill waiting for food to be added to it. The shed was open, and the guys had pulled out a bunch of lawn chairs and put then in a haphazard circle around the firepit, which and been filled with logs, and was waiting to be lit, a stack of wood sitting off to the side ready to be added as the fire burned down. There were several long metal poles that she later learned were for roasting the marshmallows. Jax and Opie were sitting in two of the chairs that had been set out, drinking a beer when she walked up and sat down with them, next to Opie. 

“Everything’s ready to go with the food, whenever you’re ready to start grilling,” she told them. 

“Great, thanks,” Opie told her. “I just want to move the stereo in the garage to the deck, and we should be all set here. I’ll start grilling as soon as the guys start showing up.” He held out his beer to her offering her a sip to see if she might want one of her own. Dani took a tentative sip and immediately handing it back to him, wrinkling her nose and shaking her head. “Want to try a cider?”

“Sure.” Dani shrugged. “I’m going to start bringing out the food.” She said as they both stood up. “Come help me?” she asked Jax. 

“Bring out a few CD’s.” Opie called. 

Jax and Dani headed in through the deck. She started to the living room when Jax caught her hand. 

“What?” She asked him. 

“You sure about this? You and Ope?” Jax asked. 

Dani nodded. “Yeah, I am.”

“Like a week ago, you said you weren’t ready. What changed?”

“I can’t really explain. We talked. I know it won’t be easy, that I still have a lot of shit to work through, but Opie knows that. He says he’s ok with letting me do what I need to, and I just want to be with him while I can.”

“While you can? What does that mean?”

“Just my way of bracing myself in case he decides he doesn’t want to wait any more for me to get where in need to be.” Dani confessed. Jax started to speak but Dani cut him off. “I know, I know. Its just how I think. It’s going to take time for me to not prepare for the worst. Now help me get this stuff outside before everybody gets here.”

Jax gave her a look but just said “Ok, Dani,” and let her grab the CD’s from the top of the stereo. She had him take out a plastic bag that had paper plated, napkins and plastic silverware, along with several bags of chips. She placed the Cd’s on top of the container of brownies, grabbed the last two bags of chips and was about to head outside when there was a knock at the door. 

Dani was halfway to answering the door when she remembered she was not wearing her sweater, and her shoulders and a good chunk of her shoulder blades were on display, complete with scars. She hesitated for a moment before deciding she was ok, she could be strong, most of her scars were covered. She took a deep breath and closed the distance to the door and opened it. 

“Hey Tig,” she greeted, holding the door open wide and inviting him in. Holding on to the feeling of bravery she had summoned, she leaned forward and gave him a peck on the cheek in welcome as he came inside. “Opie and Jax are out in the back yard, I was just taking this stuff out, she told him.

“Hey baby girl,” Tig greeted her back. “Here, let me help with this.” He said taking the containers and chips from her. 

“Thanks,” she said leading him through the house. “So Tig, I don’t think we have really talked much since I’ve been home. Why is that?” she asked, opening the back door for him.

“Dani, I think I’m mostly a good guy, but I’m also… a bit unusual.” Tig started.

“By that he means he’s a freak.” She heard Jax call and she looked to see him and Opie connecting the stereo as they continued over to the food table. 

“It’s true,” Tig said. “I’m pretty much guaranteed to say something that might make you uncomfortable.”

“Well now that I know that I can take anything you say with a grain of salt. And if you do manage to say something that I find upsetting today, I’ll just light a marshmallow on fire and throw it at you? OK?” she said, humor evident in her voice.

“Deal,” Tig agreed. “you need a hand with anything else?”

“No thanks, I’m fine,” she told him.

“You certainly are sweetheart.”

“Starting already?” she asked with a raised eyebrow. “There’s beer in the fridge in the garage, help yourself.” She grabbed the stack of CD’s and returned to Opie and Jax. She set them on the railing next to the stereo, as Opie handed her a bottle of Angry Orchard hard cider. She took a sip, the bittersweet combination hit her just right. “This is much better, thank you. Should I head inside in case someone else shows up?” she asked Opie. 

Opie shook his head. “We can just open the garage door, they’ll know to head straight back.” Jax told him he would take care of it and headed for the garage. “Help me grab the meat for the grill?” He asked, and took her hand leading her inside. “You ok with everything?” he asked her pulling her close for a minute. Dani nuzzled into his chest for a moment before looking up at him. 

“Yeah, I’m ok. Why?” she asked him. 

“Us.” He said, and then with a ghosting touch trailed his hand up her arm and traced the scar that wrapped around her shoulder. Dani forgot how to breathe for a moment. “This. It’s a lot to handle at once. Just checking in.”

“Well we have one guest and I’ve already considered covering up, but I don’t want to do that. I’m not sure how I will deal if someone asks about the scars or stares at them too much. I’m ready to be me, though, and stop hiding. Tell me the truth though. Does it look that bad? Most of it’s covered, right?”

Opie nodded. “Most of its covered, don’t worry. And the other part? Us? You still ok with that coming out?”

“I’m completely sure about that.”

“Good, cause I don’t want to go all night without doing this,” he said and captured her lips with his own. He released her a moment later and they grabbed the food for the grill. Dani finished organizing the food table and checked back in with Jax, Opie and Tig. 

When she asked if they needed anything, Jax and Tig declined, but Opie asked if she would mind grabbing him a beer and she nodded. 

While she was in the garage, she heard a couple more bikes pull up, and walked to the front of the garage to see Bobby and Chibs walking towards her. She greeted them both then turned her attention to Bobby who was holding out a guitar case. 

“This is on loan, but I thought you might like to check it out and see if you like the guitar. You wanted to learn an instrument, right?” he asked her.   
Dani nodded and before she could think, she gave Bobby a hug. “Thank you! Will you show me how to play?” she asked pulling back and Bobby said he would show her a few things. 

“Hey, lass, where’s my sugar?” Chibs complained.

“You didn’t bring me a present.” She told him but gave him a hug as well anyway. “We’re out back, you guys want a beer?” she asked as she led the way to the back of the garage. She stopped at the fridge and handed them each a beer, grabbing a third for Opie before they made their way to the back yard. 

She led the way to where the men were congregating around the grill. She watched as the guys greeted each other before she handed Opie his beer. “Bobby’s going to teach me the guitar.” She said.

“Hey that’s great.” He gave her a big smile at seeing her excitement. Dani took the guitar case and practically pulled Bobby over to the lawn chairs so he could begin teaching her. Bobby taught her a few chords that she picked up fairly quickly, much to her delight. He told her if she kept up playing she would develop calluses on her fingers that would make it easier to play. After a while she gave Bobby back the guitar and asked him to play something. He began playing Can’t help Falling in Love. She knew the song well; it was one of Alice’s favorites. She picked out a simple harmony and began to sing along. Bobby looked up and nodded in approval. When they were finished, applause rang out across the yard. Dani blushed and shrugged off their compliments. She had noticed that Juice had arrived and so had the younger guy who had been behind the bar the other night so she excused herself from Bobby for a moment and went to say hello. 

When he was introduced as Half-Sack, and the name was explained she shook her head. “Yeah I’m not calling you that, what else you got?” He told her he was also called Kip.   
“That’s better. It’s nice to meet you, she said as she shook his hand. She gave Juice a quick hug before returning to Bobby to listen to him play some more. At his encouragement   
when she knew a song she would sing along a little. 

Opie called out that the food was ready, and she jumped up, making sure everyone got what they needed and all had something to drink before fixing herself a plate and grabbing a second hard cider. 

All the chairs were taken as there were not enough to go around, so she walked up to Opie and gestured to his lap before looking back at him. Understanding, Opie shifted his plate out of the way, and she perched herself in his lap and gave him a quick kiss. The action was noticed by the rest of the group, who immediately began teasing them, Dani flushed red and brushed them off as Opie’s arm came around her. After a few good-natured ribs, the conversation moved on. 

They all sat there eating, drinking and talking as the sun started to set. Opie said it was about time to start the fire. 

“Smores?” She asked excitedly. When he nodded, she jumped up excitedly and hurried in the house to get the marshmallows, chocolate and graham crackers. On her way back to the fire pit she stopped and threw a few brownies and cookies onto a plate and grabbed another cider for her and another beer for Opie. 

The fire was roaring by the time she returned, and Bobby was strumming on the guitar. Opie handed her one of the rods for the marshmallows and stabbed one on the end for her. A few of the other guys started doing the same, each of them giving her different advice on how to perfectly roast the marshmallow. She ignored them all and stuck the marshmallow directly into the flame. She lifted it from the fire to see the marshmallow still flaming. She was about to bring it closer to blow out the flames when Tig began telling a crude story. “Flaming marshmallow!” She yelled out waiving the stick in his direction. She did not anticipate that the marshmallow would fly off the stick and land directly in the middle of Tig’s cut. She froze as everyone fell silent for a moment. Suddenly they all burst out in laughter and she relaxed, laughing along as she apologized to tig and passed him a napkin. 

Opie took the rod from her. “I’m revoking your marshmallow roasting privileges.” He put two marshmallows on the stick that time and roasted them for her himself. When they were done, he showed her how to put together the smores and they both bit into one. 

It was just as Dani thought it would be. Amazing. She smiled brightly at Opie so he would know she liked it. As she ate her smore she couldn’t help but giggle to herself at the sight of all these big tough guys in leather eating smores. 

The night wore on and they all had more smores and the conversations flowed freely. Dani thought herself a genius when she used her chocolate chip cookie bars to make a smore, and the others agreed when they too followed suite. 

Eventually the chocolate ran out and the fire was running low and when Chibs said he was going to head out the others all followed his lead. Dani and Opie walked everyone out front and waved as their engines roared to life and they rode off into the night. Dani wrapped her arms around Opie as they walked inside, and she smiled as she pulled the door closed behind her at having had such a good night.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

  
_She was waking up. They had drugged her. Told her they were taking her to a new home. The drugs must have worn off because she was coming to. She took stock of her surroundings, keeping her eyes closed. If someone was watching she didn’t want them to know she was awake just yet. She was in a moving car…and she was not restrained! She cracked her eyes open and saw she was alone in the back seat, there were two men sitting in the front of the car, and she was propped up, leaning against the door. Another peak told her they were driving on a two-lane road, surrounded by trees. She thought about waiting, pretending to be asleep and hoping they drove through a town, because then there would be people around if she was able to escape, or they might at least be able to get someone’s attention for help. But she had no idea if they would come to a town, she needed to do what she could now. Keeping her eyes closed, she tensed every muscle in preparation, slowly reached for the door handle, praying it would work, and as the car followed the curve of the road, she pulled on the handle and the door flew open. She pushed with all her might and went tumbling out of the car, down a small embankment into the tree line._

_She could hear above her the screeching of brakes, and despite the way her body ached, or how her arm hung limply at he side, she knew she had to move, run, find a place to hide, something. She began running through the trees, barefoot, she realized when she stepped on a sharp rock, cutting the bottom of her foot. She stumbled, scrambling quickly to her feet. She could hear her pursuers behind her, getting closer. Adrenaline coursing through her veins she made a sharp left and ran as fast as she could trying to evade her captor. She could hear the sounds of rushing water and spotted a fairly large river. If she could make it to the water, she might be able to get away. She knew she was probably more likely to drown than make it to the other side, she was injured and didn’t know how to swim, but she had determination. Dying in a fight for her freedom was better than living her entire life in compliant captivity. She had almost reached the break in the trees where the rocky, sandy shoreline began when she was tackled from behind her, searing pain coursing through her back and shoulders as she tumbled to the ground._

  
\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dani startled awake. “Damnit!” She cried out softly. The day had gone so well, the barbeque, the marshmallows, kissing Opie as they cuddled on the sofa, watching a movie before she finally said goodnight. 

Dani ignored the throbbing of the phantom pains in her shoulder and foot as she climbed out of bed. Normally she would be aching to clean, or bake, or she would grab her journal and obsessively write until the sun rose, but right now she wanted only one thing. She padded across the floor wiping the tears from her eyes, leaving her room, passing by the living room and continuing down the hallway. She tapped lightly on his door before she slowly opened it and peaked in. 

She could see him in bed, sleeping. He was laying on his side in the middle of the bed, partially covered with a tan blanket. She tiptoed into the room and carefully crawled into bed, laying down next to Opie, facing him. She wrapped one arm around herself and placed her other hand on his bare chest. His warmth, his scent, just being close to him helped to soothe her and she closed her eyes and was starting to drift off when she felt Opie start to shift. 

One of his arms went under his head and wrapped around her back, the other coming to rest on her hip. “You ok?” She heard him ask in that low gravelly, sleep filled voice. She shook her head no. “You need anything?” He asked.

“Can I stay here for a little while?” she asked him.

“Yeah,” he told her, pulling her closer, moving his hand in comforting circles on her back. “Just try and get some sleep.” It wasn’t long before she had drifted off to sleep.

She woke that morning to the feeling of Opie tracing lines up and down her arm. She smiled and nuzzled into his chest before looking up at him. “Morning,” she mumbled. 

“Morning, babe.” He replied, giving her a small kiss. “You sleep ok?” Dani nodded. “Wanna talk about it?” he asked her.

She shook her head and wrapped her arms around the back of his head. “Not right now.” She pulled him close for another kiss. For the first time, Dani was the one to deepen the kiss, her tongue moving across his lips, asking for and being granted entry. As their tongues danced, she felt Opie shift them so she was laying on her back, his upper half hovering over her. 

Her hands explored the muscles of his back and shoulders. She gasped as Opie broke away from her lips and began placing kisses along the side of her neck. He would nip at her neck gently with his teeth and then soothe it with his tongue before sucking gently at the flesh. As he was doing this his hand trailed lightly down her arm and came to rest on her stomach. She could feel the warmth of his hand through her this sleep shirt as it moved slowly up to rest on her ribcage just underneath her breast.   
He paused there and pulled back from her neck, searching her eyes for a moment for signs that she was getting overwhelmed. He saw no sign of hesitation and she brought one of her hands up behind his neck and pulled his face back to hers to resume kissing him. Opie’s hand was just beginning to move upward to cup her breast, his phone began to ring. They both froze, and Opie groaned as he moved away from her to check his phone. 

“Yeah,” He answered into the phone. “What…shit.” He hung up the phone. 

“What is it?” She asked. Opie stood up pulling on a pair of sweats, and then came around to her side of the bed, reaching out his hand to her and pulling her up. He pulled her into the living room and let go, heading to the front door. “What’s going on?” She asked again as Opie stepped outside, retrieving the Sunday paper. 

“This.” He said showing her the front page of the paper. SOA DAUGHTER, MISSING 20 YEARS FOUND ALIVE read the headline. There were two pictures that accompanied the article, one a picture of her at age four, the other shot at a distance, but she could tell it was her from the previous day in the grocery store parking lot, showcasing the bruise on her face. They read the article together, and it detailed that she had been presumed dead but was found alive and well when she strolled into the police station. Federal investigators were quoted as saying they had tried to interview Dani about her abduction but she was uncooperative and the investigators could not say if that was due to mental illness from trauma she had received or an unwillingness to implicate the Sons of Anarchy in her abduction. Dani fumed silently as she continued reading that the investigators were concerned for her safety but were actively investigating and would continue to do so until the details of her abduction were brought to light, and her abductors had been persecuted. 

“What the actual fuck?” She said when she had finished and shoved the paper away from her. She stood up and began pacing across the living room. “they twisted every fucking detail. I have PTST and they make it sound like I’m mentally unstable, and that the Son’s are responsible. Concerned for my safety, my ass.” 

Opie grabbed her to prevent her from pacing any further and wrapped his arms around her. “It’s going to be ok.” 

Dani nodded and pulled herself together, returning Opie’s embrace. 

“Do you want me to stay with you today?” he asked her. The previous night he told her he was planning to go and see his kids, spend some time with them.

Dani shook her head. “No, you should go see your kids. That’s important. I’ll get Jax to come over, and I’m supposed to call Alice today. Alice will keep me occupied for a couple hours easily,” she said giving him a small smile. 

“All right. I’ll call Jax, why don’t you go get ready for the day?’ He suggested. 

Dani nodded. “I’m sorry our morning was interrupted for, well, this.” She gestured to the newspaper. 

Opie brought his hands up to her face. “It’s not your fault.” He told her. “As for this morning, well, we will just have to pick up where we left off soon, wont we?” He captured her mouth in a heated kiss. When he pulled away, he kissed her forehead before letting her go and get ready. 

She dressed simply in a tee shirt and jeans and pulled her hair up into a high ponytail. Opie knocked on her door as she was grabbing a pair of shoes and she called for him to enter. “You might want to throw together a couple things to keep you occupied, we gotta go to the clubhouse for a bit. Need to talk about how we are going to handle that article.”

“For how long?” she asked. 

“Not sure.”” He told her. 

“Will Gemma be there?” She asked him and noticed that he evaded her eyes. “I can’t be around her right now.” She told him. 

“I’ll make sure you aren’t alone with her and do what I can to see that she keeps her distance.” Opie promised, then hesitated. “She’s not all bad, you know.” 

“Tell that to my face.” She said, gesturing to her bruised face. “I don’t know that she’s not all bad, because this is what happened when I tried to talk to her.”

“I’m just saying, she’s been more of a mom to me than my own mother, I know she cares.” Opie told her. 

“That’s great that she was there for you Ope, but why can’t she do that for her own fucking daughter?” She sighed. “Look I’ll be ready to go in a minute.” She told him and glanced between him and the door.

He sighed but nodded and left. She sat on the bed and shook her head in frustration. After a moment she pulled on her shoes and grabbed a book and her journal, tossing them both in her bag, along with her phone. 

She hesitated before opening the door and walking to the living room. Opie was waiting for her there and held out a to-go cup of coffee, which she took from him silently, and followed him out the door and to his truck.

She held the coffee in her left hand as she sat in the passenger seat so that Opie wouldn’t be able to take her hand like he normally would. The drive to TM was spent in a tense silence. Opie pulled into the lot and parked the truck, killing the engine. Before she could open her door and exit he vehicle, Opie put a hand on her arm. “I’m sorry. I know you and Gemma got your shit to work through, and she hasn’t handled any of this with you right. I was just trying to let you know that I thought there might be some hope in the situation is all. Guess I didn’t go about that too well.”

Dani sighed. “I’m sorry too. This thing with me and Gemma isn’t your fault and I shouldn’t have snapped at you.” She switched her coffee from her left to the right hand, and reached out for his hand and squeezed. “Truce?” She asked?

Opie brought her hand up to give it a kiss. “Truce.” He said and they climbed out of the vehicle. 

They met at the front of the car and Dani was quick to embrace Opie. He held her for a moment until they heard a few bikes ride by them and looked to see that the other members were arriving. 

Opie began leading her to the club house, his arm still around her. “If Gemma is here, you can wait for us in my dorm, no one will bother you in there. I’m going to leave straight from here to see my kids, so Jax will bring you back to the house when we are done. The club might want to talk to you about these Feds that are on the case, but don’t worry, everyone knows that you didn’t say anything to make them suspect us.”

Dani nodded, suddenly feeling nervous. 

“You ready?” Opie asked her.

“Ready or not, we’re here,” she replied and he opened the door for her to enter the club house.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Opie led Dani into the clubhouse, and as she glanced around, her eyes immediately focused on Gemma, who was standing at the bar with Clay. Jax was there too, along with a few other club members and, to Dani’s surprise, Chief Unser. Opie guided her to the bar where the others were, careful to put several people, including himself between Gemma and Dani. Dani had picked up the last part of what Clay was saying.

“—didn’t know about this?” Clay was asking Unser, with an edge to his tone that made her uncomfortable.

“I had no idea this was coming out. I had a missed call last night from the guy who writes the crime beat for the Charming Chronicles, and when I called him this morning he was pissed. He got a call yesterday with information about the case, caller identified themselves as feds, wanted the story published in todays paper ‘to assist in the investigation.’ He was interested in the story but said it would take some time to verify some facts and reach out to respective parties involved in the case. Apparently, the feds reached out to as cub reporter instead and gave her the scoop, practically spoon-fed the article, complete with pictures. The girl just took what she had and sowed it to the editor, who thought it would make a better headline than the farmers market and ran with it.”   
Clay thanked Unser who said he needed to head out. “Sorry, sweetheart,” Unser said as passed her. Dani barely acknowledged him; her mind was busy processing the information.

“Why the hell would the feds do that?” Clay asked.

“Shines a light on SAMCRO. Makes it harder to do business.” Jax suggested.

“I don’t think so,” Dani whispered, her face pale. “I think they did this because of me. That one agent, specifically, Johnson, he seemed like he’d push me any way he could to get information. My return going public, if the people who had me are looking for me, this could get their attention. If they find me-“ Dani broke off, taking a sharp breath. “I feel like he thinks if he pushes enough, if he can scare me, plant enough doubt in my head about the club, that he can get information, not only about my kidnapping, but about you guys too.” When she saw Clay’s raised eyebrow she continued. “That’s not going to happen.” She told him. “But he did expose me. It’s true, they might still be looking for me, and if they…” she started shaking. “I can’t…”

Jax moved to her side and pulled her away from Opie’s side into a hug. “That’s not going to happen. I promise you we are going to keep you safe.”

“Alright. Chapel, five minutes.” Clay said, effectively breaking up the group. 

“You gonna be ok while we handle a few things?” Jax asked and Dani nodded.

“I was going to let her wait in my room while we’re in church.” Opie gestured towards Gemma subtly, looking at Jax. 

Jax glanced quickly towards Gemma before looking back to Dani, his eyes searching her face before settling on the still colorful bruising on the side of her face. Even in her current state of upset, she could tell her brother wanted to meddle, but had decided against it as he agreed and the tree of them walked to Opie’s room at the club house. The room was like a small studio apartment. It held a bed, a couch and a desk. There was also a mini fridge and microwave in one corner and an attached bathroom.

“You gonna be ok here for a bit?” Opie asked her. 

Dani wanted to ease some of the concern she saw on his face, so she nodded. They turned to leave, but she stopped them. “Opie, Jax. That Agent Johnson, I only spent a few minutes with him, but he definitely seems more interested in you, than me. He’s playing my weakness right now, but I honestly think that what he ultimately wants is SAMCRO.

Don’t lose sight of that. You all need to be careful.”

Jax smirked. “Don’t worry, we can handle Agent Dick, especially if he’s putting you at risk to get to us.”

Dani sighed as they left her alone. Dani slowly sat on the couch and brought her knees up, wrapping her arms around her legs so she was curled up in a ball. She didn’t know what scared her more; the though that Jax or Opie could be at risk because of Agent Johnson, ultimately because of her, she corrected, or the though that those who were responsible for her captivity might be searching for her, might find her, might hurt someone she cared about, and most of all might succeed in taking her back. 

She shook her head and forced herself to get up. She could not let herself crumble under the overwhelming weight of her fears. She dug through her purse and dug out her journal and pen, seated herself at the desk and began the cathartic process of writing. This was how she channeled all the bad, all the negativity, this was how she would turn her fear into a weapon, into strength. She didn’t know how long she sat there, she was so focused on what she was doing that she didn’t hear anyone enter the room, or realize she was no longer alone until she felt a hand on her shoulder. 

She startled and slammed her journal closed as she looked up. She relaxed a little as she found herself looking into Opie’s face. She brought her hand up to her shoulder to cover his hand that rested there. “Hey,” she said, putting on a brave face. 

Opie knelt next to her. “You doing ok?” he asked.

“I got a lot of shit going on up here,” she gestured to the side of her head, “I’m working on it.”

“You sure you don’t want me to stick around today?”

“No, Opie, go see your kids. Spend some time with them. They need that. So do you. I’ll be here when you get back.” She told him. “I don’t suppose you’re going to tell me what you guys decided to do about the situation…” 

“Don’t worry about it. You said yourself you think this guys goal is SAMCRO, let us handle it. You got enough on your plate. We’re looking into the guy and we’ll figure it out.”

Opie said. Dani eyed him skeptically but nodded. “Jax can take you home if your ready now.” He informed her and she nodded again. He stood then, pulling her up with him and pressed a kiss to her forehead. Dani leaned into him for a moment, drawing strength from his presence. When she pulled back, Opie grabbed her hand and led her out of the room and through the clubhouse, and out into the daylight. She saw Jax waiting by his bike, and she could see Gemma and Clay standing in the doorway of the garage office.

Gemma’s eyes were trained on her and Opie, though Dani couldn’t make out her expression. Opie walked her over to the row of bikes and, cupping her face, gave her a quick kiss. “I’ll see you tonight,” he told her. 

“Have a good time. Drive safe.” She replied as they parted ways, Opie making his way to the truck, Dani heading to Jax, who was making kissy faces at her. “Knock it off.” She grumbled, taking his helmet, despite the small smile that appeared on her face. 

While the ride to the house did calm her a little, it was not as effective as usual at clearing her thoughts. Jax could apparently tell because as he followed her inside he sat her down on the sofa and asked, “Ok, what’s going on in that head of yours, Dani Darlin?”

“Jax, I’m tired. Do we really have to talk about this?” Dani said. She knew she normally shared her concerns with him, but she still didn’t have everything straight in her head. “I just want to pretend that the rest of the day is a normal fucking day and we are just hanging out without any big fucking emotional moments hanging over us. I’m so over emotional fucking moments right now. I’d rather bash my head into a fucking wall right now than talk about my fucking feelings.” Dani didn’t think she had ever used the word fucking so many times in one minute before. She was a little surprised at her outburst and so was Jax, who held up his hands.

“Ok, we won’t talk about it right now. What do you want to do instead?” he asked.

“I promised Alice I would do a video call thing on the computer today, so I’ll get that out of the way and then, I don’t know, maybe we can watch a couple movies or something.”

“You sure you’re good to make a call when you don’t want to talk?” he raised an eyebrow at her. 

“Alice will let me tell her only the good stuff and won’t ask about the rest of it. She just knows, she is kind of amazing like that.” Dani said. 

She retreated to her room where she took out her computer, opened the Skype program, and clicked on Alice’s name. She smiled when she saw the septuagenarian smiling back at her with her wild curls and tanned skin. She told Alice how great Jax and Opie were and how she was getting to know the rest of the club. She told her about her garden, smores, and playing pool, and that she was doing better with physical contact with people, promising the older woman a well overdue hug the next time she saw her in person.

She didn’t mention Gemma or the marks on her face, but she knew the older woman wasn’t fooled.   
Just as she had told Jax, though, Alice didn’t mention it, and instead asked her more about the men in her life. Dani flushed slightly as she explained that Opie was gone for the day and that Jax was waiting for her in the other room. Alice gave her a sly look at seeing her flush but didn’t otherwise acknowledge it. She did insist, however, on meeting Jax immediately. 

Dani called for her brother, who came and sat next to her. He greeted Alice and thanked her for taking such good care of his sister and helping her find her way home. Dani was shocked when Alice began flirting shamelessly with Jax, and further stunned when Jax acted like he was used to that sort of attention, turned the wattage up on his smile, and returned her flirtations with good humor. 

Jokingly, Dani asked if the two would like a moment alone, you could have knocked her over with a feather when Alice said that yes, in fact she would like a moment alone to speak to Jax. “You’re messing up my game,” Alice had teased, giving Dani her first real laugh of the day. Dani said goodbye to Alice and promised to call her the again in the next week or so, and the left Jax alone in her room with the video call still running. 

Going into the kitchen, Dani started throwing together an easy lunch of macaroni and cheese with tuna. Jax came out and joined her in the kitchen as she was straining the noodles she had just boiled.

“She’s a spitfire,” Jax chuckled. “I can see why you like her so much.”

“Yeah, she’s pretty great. So did you two fall in love? I don’t know what scarred me more, her flirting with you, or you flirting back.” Dani rolled her eyes as she added the butter and milk to the noodles and mixed it with the powdered cheese and tuna.

“Its not my fault that no woman can resist my charms.” Jax joked. “Nah, she just wanted to make sure we were taking good care of you, is all.”

Dani dished up a bowl of the macaroni and handed it to him. “Ok, Romeo, why don’t you go find us a movie.” She said as she dished up her own bowl. She followed Jax to the living room where he turned on an action movie, Die Hard, he told her. She sat there picking at her lunch but had stopped pretending to try and follow the plot about 20 minutes in, reverting back into herself and her thoughts. She did not the glances Jax was throwing her way. When Jax told her it was her turn to choose a movie she selected something at random, vaguely registering something about global warming causing a new ice age, before tuning out again. Jax had taken her lunch from her at some point and with nothing to pick at she curled herself back into a ball, as she had started to do back at Opie’s room in the club house.

She jumped as she felt Jax’s hand reach out for hers, not only in surprise, but at the almost burning sensation of his touch. A fraction of a second later she realized Jax wasn’t too warm, but she felt freezing.

“Christ, Dani. What’s going on? Talk to me.” Jax pleaded, worry evident in his tone as he took her hands successfully this time to try and warm them.

“I can’t. I’m still trying to make it make sense.” She said, her voice quivering.

“Let me help you, Dani.”

“Soon. It’s just so fuzzy but I’ll have it soon. I just need to rest, I think. I’m so tired Jax,” she told him.

Dani allowed Jax to pull her into his side and grabbed the throw blanket to cover her with. “Just try to sleep then, Dani. I’m right here.”

With the warmth starting to seep back into her body, Dani felt herself start to relax and within minutes she was asleep.

* * *

_“Diana, you stupid girl, come here!” She shook her head. This wasn’t right. Dani looked down at herself, she was herself, fully grown, but she was in the building where she was first held as a little girl. That was the voice of the first man to ever say he owned her. She turned and she saw him standing there. He was not alone though, he was with the other two men who would each claim ownership over her for years before discarding her to the next for an unknown sum. There was a fourth man there as well, the man who meant to have her just to torture for a short while before ending her._

_“No,” she said. “This isn’t real. This didn’t happen.”_

_“Stupid girl, you’ve forgotten yourself again. You only dreamed you escaped and found your brother and the one you call Opie. You tried to escape, but we’ve brought you here to punish you. You know how we punish bad, stupid girls, don’t you Diana?” Dani shook her head. “Say it Diana!” he commanded._

_“NO!” she screamed. The man picked her up with the same ease he had when she was a little girl and carried her to the pitch black closet, only when he threw her in, it was no longer a closet, just an endless void of darkness. She started to beat on the door, but suddenly they were with her in the darkness too, their hands grabbing her, restraining her._

_“You’ll never get away from us.” The men said as if they were one, and they held her down as an unseen knife began carving patterns in her back once again._

* * *

Dani screamed, hands holding her down as she thrashed and fought for consciousness. Her eyes wide open, sitting bolt upright, as the scream dies on her lips. She instantly registered that Opie and Jax were holding on to her in an effort to wake her while attempting to prevent her from hurting herself or either of them with her thrashing. They both eased their holds on her but before either could speak, she was pushing past them into the kitchen, where she lost the contents of her stomach in heave after heave. She felt someone try, more than once to assist her or offer her some comfort but she flinched away each time, until they stopped trying to help and she was now dry heaving over the sink. She grasped for the faucet to turn the cool water on so she could rinse out both her mouth and the mess that was all in the sink. Someone had placed a clean cloth within her reach, and she took it and ran it under the faucet to wet it before wiping her face, chest, and the back of her neck. Putting the towel back on the counter she gripped the edge of the sink with both hands and tried to school her breathing as she watched the water flush the griminess of the sink clean. 

“It’s ok” she whispered to herself, “I’m ok.” She repeated it a few times to herself. Finally, she let go of the sink and turned slowly to face Jax and Opie, who were watching her as if she was a wild animal about to bolt. Taking in her surroundings, she noticed the sun was gone from the sky and it was dark out, though she had no clue what time it was. She could see two of the dining table chairs were toppled over. Likely, the two men were sitting at the table talking before her nightmare had scared them to action. Jax and Opie themselves looked haunted at what they’d seen, helpless even. She slowly put her hands out in front of her to indicate she was ok.

“I’m sorry,” she said, her voice hesitant and weary. “I guess we should probably have a talk now.”

**A/N: I’m sure a lot of you are thinking WTF is going on with Dani this chapter, but I think you will all understand as soon as the next update is posted.**


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Opie and Jax were looking at Dani with a mix of concern and bewilderment. “Dani,” Jax said cautiously, “I want to know what’s going on with you, but you’ve been a fucking zombie for half of the day, you had a dream so bad we had to hold you down to keep you from hurting yourself.” Dani looked down and noticed scratch marks along her arms. A quick glance showed both Jax and Opie sported a few scratches as well and feelings of sorrow and guilt flashed through her but Jax kept talking. “We tried to wake you but we couldn’t get you to wake up. And look at you, you’re pale as hell and you’re shaking like a leaf, but NOW you want to talk?”

“Yeah, pretty much,” Dani replied. “I’m sorry I worried you so much today, and I’m sorry I hurt you when you were trying to help me, and yeah, I think I should do this tonight, now, while I have the courage to say it all.” She spoke quietly but with certainty. “This won’t be easy for me to say and I know it will probably be just as hard to hear. I know you’ve both been through a lot today too, mostly because of me, but I’m asking to do this tonight. Please.”

Dani watched as the two men before her exchanged glances as if having a silent conversation between them before they looked back at her and nodded. She sighed with relief. “Thank you. I just need to—” Dani gestured to her room. “I need one minute before we do this.” Dani squeezed by them and went into her room to use the bathroom facilities. When she was finished, she grabbed her purse from her bed and pulled out her journal. She stood there in a moment of hesitation before she also went to the chest of drawers and opened the bottom drawer and pulled out the brown messenger bag. She carried both of these things back into the dining room with her. 

Dani could see that the chairs had been righted, Jax was already sitting in wait, and Opie was carrying a steaming bowl and a glass of water and set them at her usual place at the table. “Sit. Eat.” His words were simple, but the way he spoke left no room for argument. Dani sat down, noticing Opie didn’t take his seat until she picked up her fork and took a bite of reheated macaroni. 

Dani took a few more bites before she spoke. “I really am sorry for worrying you.”

“What happened, Dani? It was like you went into shock or something.” Jax said.

Dani nodded, taking another bite. “I think I was. It was like as soon as I saw that article, something hit me, but I didn’t know how big it was. It hit me when we were at the club house talking about it all. It was like an overwhelming pressure coming down around me that would crush me, but at the same time I was becoming numb and couldn’t feel a thing. I tried to fight it.” She looked at Opie. “I didn’t want you to be so worried about me you wouldn’t go see your family, so I pushed it back, tried to hide it.” She turned to Jax. “Same with my call to Alice. I knew she’d worry when she saw me, but she’d worry more if we didn’t talk on schedule, so I tried to push it away again. If I thought there was a chance you would have left me alone, I probably would have tried, though I doubt I could have held it off more at that point anyway. 

“Between my nightmare last night and the article coming out, I was hit with a pretty big realization. The dream I had just now is the first time I’ve had a nightmare that wasn’t a flashback or a memory. It was a fear I didn’t even know I should have until today. That they could be looking for me, could find me, and what they would do to me if they ever did.”

“Dani, you know—” Opie started but Dani stopped him.

“You can’t guarantee nothing will ever happen to me. It already has. When I escaped, I spent a few months terrified that I would turn around and they would be there. But I realized eventually that I was no one, who got away from who knows where, and got off at a random stop in the middle of nowhere. I never saw anyone besides Alice, and that there, in that place I was safe. They would never be able to find me there, with her. And I was able to let go of that fear, which gave me more time to be scared of my demons, I guess. I was so focused on finding my home, my family, that when I got here, that I didn’t realize I was giving up that security of anonymity. I realized today how stupid I’ve been to go around only being scared of what’s already happened, when I already lived through it and survived, when the truth is, if they are looking for me, if the did find me and somehow managed to take me again, I’ll die. If they’re going to the trouble of looking for me, I can be pretty damn sure it’s not to keep me as a-, a plaything... they’re going to… to be looking for me to kill me, to make sure I can’t talk, or identify anyone.”

Dani reached for her water and took a long drink before she continued. “I know you both want to protect me, but you can’t be with me 24 hours a day. If they did show up, I can’t protect myself. I refuse to be terrified of being helpless when I’m alone or feeling smothered because someone is always watching over me.”

“So what do you want to do?” Jax asked.

“I want, no, I need to be able to protect myself. I think for starters I should take up running, build up some endurance. If I am in a situation where someone is chasing me, I want to have a shot at getting away. I won’t be outrun again.” Dani took a breath and continued. “When I finally got free, that wasn’t the first time I tried to escape, just finally worked that time.” She recounted to them what happened when she was being moved, jumping from the car, running through the woods, getting caught. “I won’t do that again. So I want to run so I can be faster, I want to learn to swim so that I won’t hesitate if I have to jump in some water to get away. And I want to learn to fight.” Both Jax and Opie began to object, but she hurried to continue. “Not to go on the attack, but if they get hands on me, I want to know how and where to hit them so it’ll hurt the most, so they will let go. I just want to know enough for me to have a chance to get away.” She paused for a moment summoning the courage. “I want to do more than to be able to defend myself though.”

Dani grabbed her journal and set it on the table. “I haven’t been writing my feelings in here. This has everything I can remember about the places I was held, the people who thought I belonged to them, the people who worked for them, and the sick fucks they brought me in contact with. Every face I remember is in here, the names I know, the things they told me…what they did to me. I thought at some point I would take this to the police, for their investigation. I realize though that y’all sometimes choose to handle situations without the police, so I’m asking you what to do with it. You can take it if you want, do what you have to with the information in there, I trust you with it, but… the thought of either of you reading this, knowing the details of what they did to me. It terrifies me, more than anything else. It will change everything. How you see me,” she reached down and grabbed the messenger bag, “and so will this.”

She reached into the messenger bag and pulled out a handheld camera. “This belonged to the man who carved up my back. Apparently, he liked to record his activities for future enjoyment. I really don’t want you to look at this unless you have to. There is something on here that I didn’t tell you about that night, about how I escaped. I told you he took a phone call and got distracted. He did, but I didn’t run then. When he left the room, he set his knife down. I think he thought I was too weak to move. I took it, and when he came back in the room I stabbed him. I stabbed him a lot.” She was staring at the table as she said this. “I won’t pretend to feel bad about it, I don’t. He deserved to die. I took the camera, and I took the knife,” she reached into the bag and pulled out a long knife, setting it on the table next to the camera, “and I took this.” She turned the bag over and dumped the remaining contents. Stacks of money tumbled out of the bag. When it was empty, she set the bag back on the floor. Jax and Opie stared at the contents of the table. “Tried to tell you I didn’t need your money.” She muttered the last part.

“How much is this?” Opie asked.

“It’s how much you need to buy a person to torture and kill. Never counted it; knowing the exact amount my life was worth felt a little morbid. Look, if you decide all of this is something the club needs to handle, you have to be careful. These guys have money and they have power. I don’t understand why, but so many men feel the need boast about how powerful they are while they are raping you. There are professors in that book, doctors, lawyers, a senator, a police commisioner, CEO’s; people who can hide behind money and other bad people with money.” Dani told him. “Well, that’s it. That’s everything.”

No one spoke for several minutes. Finally, Dani stood up. “I can’t look at any of this anymore. I’m going to my room.” She picked up her glass and bowl and took them with her. No one tried to stop her. She stopped at the doorway and called out. “If you feel the need to watch what’s on that tape, please don’t do it here. I lived it, I don’t need to see it.” She went into her room and closed her door. She sat on the edge of her bed and quickly finished her dinner. She wasn’t hungry, but ate it anyway, she hadn’t eaten that day, and she’d been through a lot, she needed to keep her energy up, and if they didn’t hate her by now, the two men she’d left in the other room would be extra attentive to her for a while. 

If they didn’t hate her. Even if they didn’t hate her, could they stand to look at her once they read her journal? Would they treat her differently? Would Opie treat her differently? Would he decide it was too complicated to be with her? She sat there for what felt like ages. A couple of times she heard a loud noise like someone had thrown something or punched a wall, maybe. Eventually she heard a tap at her door, and it opened slowly to reveal Jax. He was carrying the messenger bag and set it on her bed. He gently grabbed the sides of her face and leaned down to kiss the top of her head. Dani could see eyes were red when he pulled back to look at her. She could see sadness, and hurt, but mostly love, and she felt an instant wave of emotion of her own. Jax pulled her up and wrapped her in his arms as she clung to him as tightly as she could. 

“I’m so sorry, Dani.” He whispered several times as he held her. When he pulled back she glanced at the bag and then back at him. “It’s the money. It’s yours, you might need it for something. The rest, we are taking to the club to decide how we will handle it. If we have it our way, we will find as many of them as we can, and we will make them pay.” Dani nodded. She took the bag and put it back in the drawer where she had kept it. 

Dani looked towards the door and then back at Jax. “Where’s…” she trailed off. 

“I made him wait his turn. Dani, you know none of that shit you put in that book was your fault, right?” he asked her. 

Dani nodded, then shrugged. “Most of the time I do, sometimes I need a reminder though.”

“I’ll keep telling you then.” Jax said, giving her another hug. “I’ll send Ope in, but I’ll be by early tomorrow so we can take care of some shit, ok?”

Dani watched her brother leave and sat back down at the end of the bed. After a moment she could hear Opie’s footsteps walking closer. She looked up at him, her eyes full of questions she was too scared to ask. They just looked at each other a moment before he came closer and dropped to his knees in front of her, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her close. Dani returned his embrace, tears welling up in her eyes at as her worries of rejection started to evaporate. Opie pulled back and looked up at her, his hands moving to cup her face. His eyes were damp as he leaned in to kiss her. “Baby,” he whispered, “I swear, we will do whatever it takes to make you feel safe. No one will ever hurt you again.”

Dani pressed her lips to his again. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”

Opie shook his head. “That is not a promise, it is my solemn fucking vow.” He pulled her close again and moved to stand, lifting her in his arms as he rose, scooting her backwards as he crawled into her bed, pulling her with him. “How are you feeling with everything?”

Dani sighed as Opie pulled her close and snuggled into him. “Relieved, scared, vulnerable, exposed, angry. Part of me wants to scream and smash the shit out of everything, part of me wants to just break down and cry, part of me just wants to focus on how it feels when you’re holding me like this and not think about the rest of it.”

Opie’s hand stroked up and down her back. “You don’t have to control how you feel like that all the time. Holding shit back, might seem like it helps at the time but shits just gonna explode later. So if you want to scream and break shit, break it. You want to cry, then cry. I’ll still be here. Whatever you need, I’m here, baby.”

“Tonight I just need you to hold me and tell me it will be better in the morning.” 

So that’s what Opie did; he held her close and told her she was safe, and everything would be better tomorrow.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Dani seemed to be making a habit of waking up in Opie’s arms. It was a habit she could get used to. His warmth seeping into her, her head resting on his broad, muscular chest, the feeling of his rough hands moving up and down the smooth skin of her arms. Dani opened her eyes to find Opie was awake and watching her, tracing invisible patterns on her arm.

“Good morning,” Opie said kissing her forehead. 

“Morning,” Dani murmured, letting out a lawn. 

“How do you feel today?” He asked her. 

“Like I want to stay right here with you all day.” Opie chucked but gave her a look to say he was waiting for a real answer. “I feel drained. Physically, and emotionally. But in another way, I feel lighter somehow. But mostly drained. Like I really just want to stay in bed today.” She nestled further into his chest. 

Opie promised they could have a lazy day together soon and left her to get ready. Dani showered quickly, braided her hair, and dressed in a pair of capri jeans, a floral top and grabbed a lightweight jacket for when she left the house. It was one thing for the Sons to see her scars, but after the article, Dani was sure she was going to be a point of curiosity, and she was not about to give them more to talk about. 

Making her way out of her room, Dani saw Opie in the kitchen and could smell bacon. She smiled as she saw her favorite mug on the counter, already full of coffee and one sip telling her it was sweetened to her liking. She set the mug down for a moment and wrapped her arms round Opie. “Thanks for making breakfast,” she said pressing a kiss to his shoulder blade through the fabric of his shirt. 

Opie was in the process of transferring the eggs he had cooked onto two plates. Once he had finished, he turned and kissed the top of her head. “It’s almost ready. Go sit down before you distract me, and I burn the bacon.”

Dani backed up and grabbed her coffee. “I’m only going to protect the bacon.” She said giving him a smile.

A few minutes later, they were both seated at the table, eating in a comfortable silence, trading glances at each other. When they were finished, they worked together to load the dishwasher and clean the kitchen.

Dani hopped onto the counter and took a sip of her second cup of coffee when she was satisfied that the kitchen was clean. Opie moved to stand in front of her and took her coffee away from her. Setting it on the counter, he wrapped his arms around her and leaning down to capture her mouth in a series of sweet, gentle kisses. Dani’s arms moved to wrap around Opie’s broad, muscular shoulders and she moved to deepen the kiss, but Opie pulled back. He moved his attentions to her neck, nuzzling her with his beard. The gentle scratches from his hears elicited both a gasp and a giggle. Opie chuckled and placed a single kiss to that spot before pulling her into a hug. Her head rested on his chest, one of his arms was wrapped around her back, the other hand at her neck cradling her head as he rested his on head on top of hers. Dani let herself enjoy the moment, listening to the slow and steady beat of his heart as she let the emotions weep though her. She felt so safe, so warm, so cared for in that moment. She pulled back to look up at Opie. 

“What’s got you so sweet this morning?” she asked him, gazing into his eyes. Before he could answer there was a knock on the door. Opie gave her another kiss before going to answer the door. Dani jumped off the counter and followed. 

Opie looked through the glass at the top of the door before opening it and letting Jax in. They greeted each other briefly and Jax made his way over to Dani and pulled her into a bone crushing hug. Dani hugged him back for a minute before telling him she would like to breathe at some point on the future. Jax released her and gave her a quick smirk. “Hey Dani girl.”

Opie started to grab his stuff so he could leave for his shift at TM but Dani stopped him. “Before you go, there’s something I wanted to run by you both. I was thinking about it, and even though she doesn’t deserve it, I kind of think I should talk to Gemma before you talk to the club about what I showed you yesterday. I just might need a couple days to get myself ready to talk to her. I know that one way or another, I need to take action with the information I have, but I don’t want her finding out from someone else after the fact. That would only make things worse with us.”

Opie nodded. “I don’t like waiting on this, but I think it’s your call,” he told her, coming up to put a hand on her shoulder. 

“I can talk to Gemma for you if you want.” Jax offered. 

Dani shook her head. “Give me a couple days to talk myself into doing this, If I can’t, then you can talk to her but I think I need to do it. I wouldn’t mid you there with me though considering how things went last time we talked.” Jax nodded. 

“OK, I gotta get to work.” Opie told them giving Jax a pat on the back and Dani a kiss on the cheek. “I’ll see you later,” he said to her giving a gentle tug on the braid before he grabbed his things and left.

Dani watched as he walked out the door before turning her attention to Jax, who was grinning at her. “Shut up.” She said.

“I didn’t say anything.” He replied holding up his hands.

“Your face said it for you so shut up. What are we doing today?” She asked him.

“I’m supposed to take you to meet with after your appointment today, then I’m taking you for a run and we’ll get you started on some self-defense. There’s someplace I want to take you before we do any of that though, so get ready to go, grab some workout clothes so we don’t have to come back.”

Dani did as she was told, throwing some leggings, a sports bra and a tee shirt in her bag, and slipping on her sneakers, tying them securely. 

“Where are we going?” She asked Jax as she locked up the house. 

“You’ll see.” Was all he would tell her as they climbed onto his bike. 

About forty-five minutes later Jax was bringing his bike to a stop. Looking around, Dani notices several targets set up and realized they were at a makeshift shooting range. She turned to Jax. 

“Ok, what are we doing here?” She asked him.

“I know this wasn’t on any of your lists, but If anything does happen, I’d feel better knowing you know how to handle yourself with a gun.” He told her.

“I don’t know about this,” she said hesitantly.

Jax led her over to the targets. “I get that you may not like the idea of it, but you said you wanted to do everything you could to give yourself an advantage if shit went down. You think if someone comes after you, they won’t have a gun? Here.” He reached into his kutte and pulled out a small gun and held it out to her. 

Dani took it reluctantly and Jax showed her how to load it, where the safety was, and then gave her pointers on how to hold the gun and her stance and had her try for the target. She didn’t even come close to the target, and the recoil startled her. Jax gave her a few adjustments and she got closer, but still missed the target. He kept coaching her until the gun was empty. She had managed to hit the target exactly one time. 

Jax went to reload the gun, but she shook her head. “I don’t like it Jax. I know you’re trying to help, but I don’t think this is right for me.” Jax convinced her to try once more and she agreed. She did slightly better this time, hitting the target twice, but refused any further attempts. 

Jax sighed but nodded and they got on the bike to head into town. He took her to St. Thomas for her appointment and she left him in the waiting room. She stormed out of the office barely twenty minutes later and barked out. “Let’s go.” Jax caught up with her at the elevator and could see she was fuming. 

“Want to tell me what’s going on?” He asked. Dan shook her head and jabbed at the button until the elevator opened and they stepped inside. Jax waited until they were outside before trying again. “Dani—” he started.

“I’m not going back there.” She said.

“Why not?” He asked.

“She wasn’t listening to me, which is basically her job. She suggested I start taking medications and didn’t like that I told her I wasn’t comfortable with that. She was super negative about my relationship with you said that I was using you as an emotional crutch, she said she didn’t think my ‘friendship’ with Opie was appropriate, and that I needed to get my panic attacks and insomnia under control. I tried to tell her that the attacks happened because of specific things that happened and we talked about not only those things, but everything and I told her I thought things would be better going forward. She wasn’t listening to me so I left.” 

Jax put his hands on Dani’s shoulders. “You’ve had a pretty intense week. I saw you at your worst Dani, and it was some pretty scary shit so see you like that. But I also saw you dig yourself out of a mountain of secrets and bad life experiences and I’m so fucking proud of you. I wouldn’t judge you if you decided you needed the medication, but I don’t think you’re wrong for not wanting it either.”

Dani nodded. “I think I’m doing ok without it. But Jax, you have to tell me if I’m putting too much onto you, I’m so used to not letting anybody in and if I lean on you too much you have to tell me.”

“I promise I’d tell you. Don’t let that doc mess with your head though. I asked you to let me carry some of the load. She doesn’t know you, or any of us. So fuck her.”

Dani gave a small smile. “Yeah, fuck her.”

Jax led her over to the bike. “Let’s go, we got to get to Rosen’s.”

The visit with the attorney was interesting. Dani’s court date had been scheduled for the following week and he had some papers he needed her to sign in preparation. When that was finished she and Jax started to stand but Rosen held up a hand. “One more thing. I received a call today from an Agent Green of the FBI, they are requesting to schedule a formal interview with Miss Teller. He also asked to extend his apologies for your previous meeting. How do you want me to handle this?”

“Do I have to talk to them?” Dani asked.

“Legally, no. You do have the right not to participate in an investigation of a crime perpetrated against you, but that will likely keep them around here longer than necessary.” Rosen advised.

Dani looked to Jax, not sure how to proceed. “Push the meeting as far as you can. See if you can get a list of questions before hand. Tell them that being prepared for what she will be asked with help with the PTSD and she’ll be better able to handle and answer their questions.” Jax instructed the lawyer and they left. 

He took them to TM, and Dani barely had time to glance towards the garage as Jax pulled her into the club house. He let her into Opie’s room and told her to change into her running clothes and that he would be right back for her. Dani traded her jeans for her high waisted black leggings and removed her shirt and bra and pulled on her black sports bra with a red floral pattern. From the from the sports bra was rather basic, Dani noted as she adjusted herself inside the garment, but the back was a little more intricate as the shoulder straps split into different straps that crisscrossed across her back. Dani untwisted one of the straps, pulled on her tee shirt and began putting her shoes back on when there was a knock at the door and Jax called out to her. She yelled for him to come in and focused on finished lacing her shoes. When she was done, she looked up to see Jax wearing a pair of sneakers and running shorts. He pulled her up and led her outside to the entrance of the lot. He suggested she take a minute to stretch as he began to do the same, and when they were both ready he started them off into an easy jog. 

As they were jogging, they passed a group of young women who were staring at Jax. He gave them a smirk and a wink. Dani laughed. “You’re such a man-whore.” She told him.  
Jax laughed. “If you can make fun of me you can go faster,” he said and increased their speed to a run. He kept pushing her until they got back to the lot thirty minutes later. Dani collapsed on top of the picnic table as Jax told her she did well and that they had gone about two and a half miles in that time. Jax told her to sit tight and he would get her some water. Dani grunted, not moving and closed her eyes against the bright sunlight beating down on her. She lay there as her breathing evened out and she started to relax when a splash of freezing cold water landed on her. Shrieking, she opened her eyes and sat up in shock as Jax was laughing in front of her. He had indeed brought her a bottle of water but had just emptied about a quarter of its contents on her person. She took off her sweaty and now very damp shirt and threw at Jax’s face. 

About an inch and a half of her torso was visible between the waistband of her leggings and the start of her sports bra. Her leggings covered the word carved into her lower back, but the strappy sports bra did little to hide the rest of her back. Dani was too annoyed with Jax to care. Everyone on the lot had heard about her scars, even if they hadn’t seen any of them. Jax pulled her up off the table and laughed harder as she slapped as his shoulder and called him a jerk. 

Dani followed him over to where Chibs was sitting at one of the tables sitting outside the club house. 

“Hey, brother,” Jax said to him. Do me a favor and show Dani how to throw a decent punch. She can’t even pretend to kick my ass convincingly.” He said teasing Dani further. He gave Chibs a clap on the back and said something to him that Dani couldn’t hear. Chibs glanced towards Dani then back to Jax and nodded. 

Dani took a long pull from her water as she eyed Chibs and gave him a shrug. Chibs motioned for Dani to follow him and he led her over to a punching bag on the other side of the outdoor boxing ring. He helped her wrap her hands to protect them. “Ok, lass, show me how ye make a fist.” Dani closed her hand into a fist and held it up. “No, lass, you’ll break yer hand like that.” He moved her thumb. “Now let me see you hit.” He gestured to the bag. 

Dani gave it a halfhearted punch. “Come on girl, for real now.” Chibs said. She hit the bag a little harder. “You’re stance is all wrong.” He moved next to her. “Plant your feet like this,” he demonstrated and she copied. “Better. Now try again.”

Dani punched at the bag again more seriously. “How am I supposed to defend myself against someone twice my size when I can barely get the bag to move?”

“It ain’t about size, lass. You got to put your whole body behind the move. And you got to remember what you’re fighting for. You got to let that anger out of ya.” Dani started to say she wasn’t angry but Chibs cut her off. “That doesn’t make you angry?” He asked gesturing to the burn marks on her shoulder. “Losing 20 years of your life doesn’t make you angry? Not knowing if or when they might come after ye again?” Dani’s eyes were lit with fire. “That right there, lass, that’s what you need. Now hit it again.” Dani hit the bag again much harder this time. “Better. Again.” Dani hit the bag again. Chibs continued to coach her and showed her several different techniques to hit the bag. Dani wasn’t sure how long they had been at it when Chibs finally called for her to stop. 

“Ye did good today, Dani girl. You come see me any time you want, and we’ll get you into fighting shape.” He told her. “Looks like yer fella is about to steal you away,” he pointed, and Dani turned to see Opie walking towards her with a grin on his face. 

Dani started walking to meet Opie and when they were within reach of each other, Opie grabbed her and pulled her into a searing kiss. “Do you know how hard it is to concentrate on work when you’re over here looking all gorgeous and ass-kicking, like Xena or some shit?” He said and kissed her again, more gently this time before pulling her into a hug. Dani could see out of the corner of her eye Gemma watching them from the office window but decided to ignore her. 

“I don’t know if I’m a warrior princess just yet, but I feel pretty good about it. I also feel pretty gross after all that exercise. How much longer are you working today?” She asked.

“I’ve got a couple hours yet. Why?”

“I’m exhausted. You mind if I hide out in your room til you’re done. I could use a shower and a nap.” She said leaning up for another kiss.

Opie groaned. “Picturing you, in my bed, is going to be even more distracting.” He told her

“Use it as motivation to work faster.” She told him. 

“I’d better get back to it then.” He said stealing one last kiss. They parted ways, and Dani stopped at the bar in the club house for another cold water before heading to Opie’s room. She quickly downed a third of the bottle before setting it on the nightstand and heading to the bathroom.

Dani turned on the hot water to ease her aches as she stepped into the shower. She grabbed the bottle of soap and popped open the lid, inhaling the scent that was so familiarly Opie’s. She washed quickly and grabbed a towel, drying off. She pulled on her underwear and tank top, leaving her jeans off and crawled into Opie’s bed. She took another few sips of her water before settling in to the pillows and letting her eyes drift shut.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

The shifting of the covers and the bed woke Dani, and she opened her eyes to see Opie settling in bed next to her. “Hi.” She said softly as he laid down facing her and his hand came up to rest on the side of her rib cage. “How was the rest of your day?” she asked.

“Who knows,” he told her. “All I could think about was getting up here to you.” He leaned in and kissed her. As their tongues met, his hand slid down past her waist to her hip and he froze. Pulling back, he asked, “Are you not wearing any pants?” As he said this, his finger edged along the elastic waistband of her underwear. Dani flushed red and shook her head. Opie groaned, burying her face into her neck. “God, baby, you have no idea what you are doing to me. You’re making me crazy.”

Feeling bold in that moment Dani replied, “If that makes you crazy, what does this do?” As she spoke, she hitched her leg up over his hip and pulled him closer as she grabbed his face and pulled it to hers to capture his lips with hers again. 

Opie’s hand moved to her knee and he pulled her closer. Dani could feel his growing erection pressing against her center, but she could feel his hesitation. No doubt he was recalling the morning they woke up on the sofa and her reaction then, and she knew he was concerned about her comfort level. She rotated her hips moving against him, the friction eliciting small sounds of pleasure from them both. Opie caressed her neck and let his hand trail down her chest to cup her breast. Squeezing slightly, he began massaging her breast, his thumb tracing circles around and flicking across her nipple, teasing it into a tight peak. 

Dani broke away from his kiss with a gasp, whimpering in pleasure from his ministrations. Opie took the opportunity to trail a series of hot kisses down her neck as his hand left her breast and skimmed down the side of her body to palm her ass, pulling her even closer and increasing the friction on the movement of their hips as they ground into each other.

Opie began skimming his way under his shirt, trailing a path up her back. As soon as his hands reached the bare skin of her lower back though she froze. Her hands immediately went to his shoulders and she pushed on them. Opie removed his hands and shifted back right away. She was breathing erratically and was still stiff, despite her attempts to tell herself to relax.

“Baby, what happened? Talk to me.” Opie said, his voice filled with concern. He reached out his hand but stopped short of touching her, but Dani reached out and grasped onto his hand. He whispered soothing words to her until her breathing evened out before he asked her again. “Were we going too fast?” he asked.

Dani shook her head no. “It’s not that. It’s… your hand was… it was touching my back where…that word is. You’re the first person besides myself to touch that scar. I know you’ve touched some of the scars on my shoulders but that scar…that word… it bothers me more than the others. I know it isn’t true, that I’m not—I feel so…”

“You feel what, Dani?” Opie prodded gently as he wiped a way the few tears Dani hadn’t managed to hold back.

“Shame.” Dani whispered, the admission causing more tears to escape. 

“Baby, you have nothing to be ashamed of. You never did a thing wrong. It’s not your fault.”

“It’s disgusting. It makes me feel like I’m disgusting.” Dani confessed.

“No baby, no. You are so gorgeous. When I was touching you I wasn’t thinking about your scars, I was just thinking about touching you, about how fucking beautiful you are,” he told her and from the look in his eyes she could tell he was being honest. She nodded, though it did little to relieve her own self-doubt. Opie placed a sweet kiss on her cheek. “Why don’t we get out of here. Let’s go for a ride, maybe get some dinner?” Dani nodded again and Opie told her he was going to wash up and went into the bathroom. 

Dani got out of bed and quickly pulled on her pants, shoes, and her jacket, then sat on the edge of the bed, waiting. A few minutes later Opie emerged, and Dani looked at him, her vulnerability evident in her eyes. Opie returned her gaze with a soft look and he held out his hand to her. She took it and he pulled her up and into his arms. He held her against him before pulling back and pressing a sweet kiss to her lips.

“You ready?” he asked her, and she nodded. He pulled her into his side, wrapped an arm around her shoulders and led her out of the room.

Opie took for a long ride on his motorcycle, weaving through backroads in the evening air. They stopped for a casual dinner of gyros in a small Greek restaurant before heading   
home and curling up together on the sofa with a movie. When the movie was over, Opie gave her a kiss goodnight and they each retired to their rooms. Dani sat staring at the ceiling for an hour as she lay in bed before she got up and tip-toed across the house into Opie’s room and crawled under the covers, quickly falling asleep.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was three days later, and Dani and Jax had just returned home from a morning run. They had been running every day, and even though it had only been a few days, she already felt her endurance increased and her legs felt stronger.

Dani went into the kitchen and grabbed them each a water before she sat herself on the living room floor, sitting cross legged and took a long drink of her water.

Jax dropped into the armchair and reached out to tug playfully at her ponytail. “Dani, I think today needs to be the day.” He told her. 

“The day for what?” She asked him.

“You have got to talk to Gemma today,” he said “or else I have to. When the club goes to church tomorrow, we need to put it all on the table.”

Dani had been dreading the conversation she would need to have with Gemma, but she knew Jax was right, and she could not put it off anymore. She nodded. “Yeah, ok.” She hesitated before she continued. “I just—what do I say to her? Should I just tell her I gave you everything I knew about the people who’ve hurt me, asked you what to do and you’re taking it to the club? Or do I actually try and talk to her again? I just don’t want to put myself out there again for another slap in the face, literally.”

“I don’t know what to tell you. Gemma is stubborn as hell. I don’t know why she is so guarded about how she handled you going missing. I’ll be there when you talk if you think that might help,” he offered.

“No, just be nearby. There is something else you can do to help me with this though.” She said.

“What do you need, darlin?”

“Talk to Gemma about coming here after work. I don’t really think another important conversation at the garage is the best way to go.”

Jax nodded. “I’ll get her here.” Glancing at the clock he continued. “I have to get to the garage, but I’ll call you when I know what time she’ll be here.” He mussed up her ponytail as he said goodbye and left.

Dani got up off the floor and made her way into the kitchen. She cut up some potatoes and carrots and put them in a crock pot along with a roast and some beef stock and set it to cook on low so it would be ready that night for dinner and went out to work in her garden for a while. 

Jax called her later in toe morning to confirm that he and Gemma would be by that evening, and when she hung up the phone, she began to clean in order to stay busy and keep her nerves at bay. She dusted, swept, mopped, and vacuumed. When she was done she took a shower and made herself some lunch. 

Not knowing what to do with herself, she went into her room with the guitar Bobby had lent her. She quickly grew bored, only knowing three chords, and was too distracted to even play those well, so she set it aside. She didn’t want to bake anything and dirty the kitchen she just cleaned, so she made her way back to the living room and curled up on the sofa. She turned the TV on to a random channel and sat there, half paying attention, but mostly letting her mind wander. 

Would Gemma stay closed off, leading to a very short conversation, should she even bother to try and talk to her about anything other than what was going to happen the next day?

The sound of a motorcycle engine pulled her from her thoughts. It was only midafternoon, so she was surprised when Opie walked in the door. 

“Thought you might want some company,” he said simply. Dani launched herself off the sofa and into his arms, causing Opie to chuckle. He returned her embrace and everything that was frazzling her was soothed away.

“Seriously, how do you do that? How do you know that I’m sitting here making myself go crazy and then you just show up and make everything better?” she asked looking up at him.

Opie just smiled and leaned down to kiss her. “I just know.” He told her. “Now, what do you need?”

“Nothing now.” She said.

“You sure?” He asked and she nodded. “Cause I have a few ideas on how to distract you…” he said leaning down to kiss her softly.

“What did you have in mind?” Dani asked in between kisses.

A few minutes later, Dani found herself sitting in a folding lawn chair in the garage, her feet propped up on a cardboard box. She accepted the hard cider he handed her as he pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “This is not what I expected,” she told him.

Opie smirked at her as he popped the hood on his truck. “What did you expect?” When Dani just blushed Opie laughed. “Not that I would mind distracting you that way, but we should probably tackle one issue at a time.” Dani nodded. Since the night in Opie’s dorm, he had been affectionate, freely kissing her and holding her, but neither of them had attempted to move further than that again. Dani wasn’t sure how to get past their current physical barrier just. “This way, I get to keep you close, talk to you, and the truck gets fixed at the same time.”

Opie began telling her about his day, drawing her into conversation. Watching Opie as he worked and spoke, Dani was inspired by the confidence he exuded. Every move he made, every word he spoke was deliberate and easy. Dani wished she could be so sure of herself, she thought briefly before she focused back on the conversation. After a while she got up from the chair and moved closer to watch what Opie was doing as he worked. She had no idea what he was doing, of course, but she was glad to hand him a wrench when he asked for one. 

Opie’s distraction was effective, as before she realized it Jax was pulling his motorcycle into the drive as Gemma came up behind him in her black car, parking at the curb. Dani felt her nerves return full force. Opie reached out and took her hand. “You got this,” he told her. 

Dani squeezed back and held onto his hand until Jax walked up, she let go to give him a hug. When she stepped back from her brother and turned to see their mother standing there. “Hi Gemma,” Dani said. “Thanks for coming. Let’s head inside.” She gestured for Gemma to go ahead of her and as she walked past, Jax moved to follow but she held out her hand to stop him. With a glance to Opie, she looked back at Jax and said. “I’ve got this.”

She followed Gemma through the garage door into the house and the two stood awkwardly in the living room. 

“So you and Opie?” Gemma asked.

“That’s none of your concern, Gemma.” Dani replied coolly.

“See you’ve stopped calling me Mom.”

“I called you that out of respect. You lost that respect the moment your hand connected with my face.” Dani took a breath before continuing. “I do, however, still acknowledge the fact that you are my mother, and so I wanted to give you a heads up about something.”

Gemma looked at her expectantly. “Ok.”

“I gave some things to Jax and Opie the other day. Information, Everything I know about the people who had me. Names, faces, everything they did, everything I know. It may not lead to much, but I asked them what I should do with it. Jax is bringing the information to the club tomorrow to decide what to do with it. I just wanted you to know first.”

“Why not just tell what know to the cops?” Gemma questioned. 

“I didn’t grow up here, but I’m not stupid. This family has a questionable relationship with law enforcement. If Jax comes back tomorrow and says to take it to them, then I will.”

“That it, then?” Gemma asked her. 

Dani sighed. “Yeah that was it.” Dani paused. “What did I do, Gemma? What did I do to make you hate me so much that you won’t talk to me, won’t help me understand you?” Her tone wasn’t accusatory, simply defeated and rejected.

There was silence for the moment and Dani was starting to think that Gemma was not going to answer her at all. “I don’t hate you.” Gemma finally said, moving to take a seat in the armchair. “I don’t know you, baby. Blood only goes so far when it comes to trust.”

Dani scoffed. “No offense Gemma, but that is a load of crap. If that was your only hold up, you wouldn’t have let me out your sight until you did trust me. Whatever the truth is can’t be as bad as what I’m left to think.”

“You know I loved your brothers from the first moment I saw them, and they loved me t too, they needed me, always wanted their mama. When I found out I was having a baby girl, I was nervous. I didn’t get along with my mom, and I didn’t want the same for us. Then you were born, and you were so pretty. I couldn’t stop staring at you. From almost the beginning though it was obvious you preferred your father and your brothers to me. They adored you, everyone did. I wanted to love you so much, but I could never connect with you like they could. I took care of you, but I never had that protective instinct like I did with Jax or Thomas, where I just knew if something was wrong. It was like just going through the motions with you.

“When they took you, I blamed myself. When my Thomas died, and then JT, it felt like I was being punished for not being able to protect you. I walked around with that burden and it my relationship with Clay, with Jax, everyone, so when enough time had passed I had you declared dead, and I let you go, let go of the burden and moved on.

“I really did think you were dead, baby. If I had thought you were alive, that you were out there, I wouldn’t have done that. When you called me that day at the garage, I was shocked, angry. I didn’t want to believe it was true, but then the DNA test came back, and I saw you and then I knew. The one thing I always wanted to be was a mother who fought for her children, the way I wish my mother had fought for me but didn’t. As happy as I was to see you, I knew I had failed and all the guilt that I had locked away when you declared dead was back.”

Dani sat there stunned, taking it all in. “You should feel guilty.” She said eventually. “So, I was a Daddy’s girl. So what? So, I loved my brothers. Did you ever think that the reason you never felt connected to me was because you were projecting your own relationship with your mom onto us? I don’t remember a lot before I was taken, but I know I loved you. When they took me, yes, I wanted my dad, my brother, but I wanted you too. I screamed for you, cried for you while I was locked in fucking closet. When I got away, I wanted to find you. We had a second chance when I came back, but that day at the police station you pushed me away, kept me at arm’s length. You didn’t even try… why? Because you felt guilty, but about what? About not trying when I came back. About giving up on me? Or never loving me enough to begin with, cause that’s what if feels like you’re telling me.”

Dani waited for Gemma to defend herself, to explain further, but nothing came. Dani felt like she had taken a punch to the gut. “You can leave now.” She told Gemma softly. 

Gemma stood up and started heading for the door. “I do love you, baby.” She said, stopping at the doorway. Her tone seemed sad, defeated. Dani did not care. 

“Just not enough, right?” Dani said bitterly. When Gemma showed no sign of moving, Dani stood up. “Go. Now.”

Gemma left, and when she was alone Dani swallowed the lump in her throat, and she stood there in the living room, silent tears falling from her face. She squeezed her eyes closed, trying to force the tears back. A hand was placed on her upper back and she opened her eyes to see Jax and Opie standing on either side of her taking in her appearance. Opie’s warm hand was resting between her shoulder blades, and while it gave her comfort, she felt hollow and unworthy.

Jax put a hand on her shoulder drawing her attention. “You told her?” Jax asked and she nodded. “And I take you talked?”

Dani nodded again. “We talked. Now I wish we hadn’t.” She said, her voice cracking. 

“Are you ok?” Opie asked. 

Dani shook her head no. She leaned into Opie, and at the same time reached out to grasp Jax’s hand. “No. I don’t think I am.”


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Dani stood there leaning against Opie while holding onto Jax’s hand for a few moments. Straightening up she brushed the tears away and looked at them.

“Dani, what did she say to you?” Jax asked.

“It doesn’t matter Jax. I can’t change it, and I really don’t want to talk about it. I don’t want my drama with Gemma to become yours, either of yours. I know how important Gemma is to both of you, and I won’t let my relationship with her affect that.” She took a moment to look them both in the eye. 

“We just want to help, baby.” Opie said.

“I know. Just being here is more help that you can know.” She gave each of them a hug. “Just help me think of something else right now, I don’t want to wallow all night.” She knew they both wanted to press the issue but was grateful that they didn’t. 

She offered them some of the beef stew she had prepared for dinner and they sat around the table, not talking about much. Jax left after dinner and Dani changed into some sweats and a tank top and curled up in her usual evening spot on the sofa next to Opie. Halfway through the movie that Opie had turned on, Dani looked up at him. “Opie?”

“Yeah baby?” Opie replied.

“The other day… when you said I didn’t have to hold everything in around you. Did you mean that?” she asked.

“I meant it,” he told her. 

“I still don’t want to talk about it, but I really just need to be sad right now and I—” her voice broke off as her eyes filled with unshed tears. 

Opie pulled her into his lap and wrapped his arms around her as she buried her face into his chest and began to cry. Opie stroked her hair. “I’ve got you. Let it out baby, let it go.” He murmured to her. 

Dani cried until she exhausted herself and drifted to sleep in his arms. 

When she woke in the morning, she was surprised to see that she was no longer in the living room. Opie must have carried her to her room because she was in bed and tucked into Opie’s side as he played with her hair. 

“You feeling better?” Opie asked when he saw she was awake. 

Dani shrugged. “Thank you for being there last night,” she told him.

“Whatever you need, you just have to say the word,” Opie responded, kissing her softly. 

After a bit more cuddling and a few refusals to get out of bed, Dani finally got up and Opie left her to get ready for the day. She threw on some workout gear-leggings, sports bra, and a racerback tank- and tossed a change of clothes into her bag. Grabbing her shoes, she went to meet Opie in the kitchen for some breakfast. While she was frying up some eggs, she texted Jax to meet her at the shop for their morning run. 

Opie seemed surprised when she asked to ride into work with him. “I’m not going to sit at home all day when you’re talking to the club about me today,” she had told him. 

“You gonna be ok with Gemma being there?”

“I’ll deal with it.”

Opie didn’t argue further and when he left for work that morning, it was with Dani riding behind him. They pulled into the lot, she gave Opie a quick kiss, wishing him a good day, and walked over to where Jax was waiting at the picnic table outside the club house with Bobby and Chibs. She waved in greeting as she walked up to them. Jax got up from his perch and gave her a hug and messed up her ponytail, and Dani responded by rolling her eyed. 

“You ready to go?” He asked.

“I need to stash my bag inside first,” Dani told him. 

“I can take that in for you,” Bobby volunteered. “I’ll put it behind the bar for you til you need it.”

“Thanks.” Dani said, passing over the bag. Looking over to Chibs she said “I would really like to hit something later today if you have time.”

“Aye, lass. Come see me when your back from your run, we’ll get ya set up.” Chibs told her. 

She nodded and let Jax lead her out for their run. 

“You doing ok?” Jax asked her after they had been running for a while. 

“I’m dealing,” she said. “I just want to get through today, to be honest,” she told him. “And then I want to have a relaxing weekend, get brought back to life next week so I can start living life, get my GED, drive my truck, not have to be so dependent on you or Opie whenever I need something.”

Jax nodded. “You gonna feel safe going out and doing things by yourself? After last weekend, and the way you reacted to the news of you being back going public, I kind of thought you’d be a little cautious.”

“I’m fucking terrified. But that’s why I’m here, running with you, why I’m working with Chibs, why I told you everything. I know I need to be vigilant, but I refuse to not live my life, or live a lesser life, because I’m afraid. I won’t let my fear put me in a new cage, otherwise, what was the point of fighting so hard to get here.”

Jax stopped running, causing Dani to stop short and look at him. “You’re pretty fucking smart sometimes, little sister.” He said pulling her into a hug. 

Dani hugged him back for a minute before pushing him away and taking a few steps back. “Come on, we have a run to finish, and you stink.”

“Oh, now you’re asking for it,” Jax warned in a playful manner, and Dani darted away, Jax hot on her heels. She finished their run in a sprint, running into the lot ahead of him before slowing her pace. As Jax caught up to her he tugged on ponytail and laughed when she rolled her eyes. Jax headed to the clubhouse to clean up before he started his shift, and Dani made her way to the garage. 

She couldn’t spot Opie, so she headed in Chibs direction. He glanced up at her over the bike he was working on. “Hey there lass. Give me about ten minutes and we’ll get ya sorted for yer next lesson.”

Dani nodded and went into the clubhouse to grab a bottle of water before going back outside to wait for Chibs. She perched herself on the edge of the boxing ring and a few minutes later he came her way. He helped her wrap her hands and watched as she started punching away at the bag, making corrections and suggestions to improve her punches and jabs. After a while he called her away from the bag as he strapped some punching pads onto his hands. He directed her to hit the pads with two punches and a jab, and that after each jab he was going to swing at her and he wanted her to duck. He started them off slowly, gradually encouraging her to increase the speed of her strikes. They continued in this manner until he finally put his hands down and gestured behind her. 

Dani turned and saw Opie heading her way with a couple of brown paper bags. 

“Go have lunch with yer fella,” Chibs told her. “If yer up for it after, I have something new to work on.”

“More?” Dani asked. She was tired, but she knew it would be better if she kept busy as she waited for the club to meet that evening. She nodded. “Ok, I’ll see you then,” she said before turning her attention to Opie.

“Hey Sasquatch.” She said with a smile as he came near. 

“Hey Xena. Looking pretty good there.” He said leaning close. 

Dani put her hand up to stop him. “I’m all sweaty and pretty sure I smell,” she warned him.

“I don’t care,” Opie replied with a smile and leaned down for a kiss. A wolf whistle caused Dani to pull back and flush red. Opie sent a middle finger in the direction of the whistle and led Dani over to the to an empty table. 

He handed her the bag containing her lunch and she opened it and removed a chicken salad sandwich, a bag of chips and a can of Dr. Pepper as Opie dug into his own lunch. They ate in a comfortable silence and when they were done, Dani leaned into Opie’s side as he wrapped an arm around her. She sighed and closed her eyes.

“Tired, Babe?” Opie asked her. 

Dani shrugged. “A little. This is the first time I’ve been still all morning. It feels good to just sit. But I feel good too. Taking my feelings out on a punching bag is very therapeutic,” she half-joked.

“You seem less tense,” Opie agreed. “That’s good.”

“So how has your day been so far?” She asked and Opie launched into a story of a woman who had jumped onto Kip’s back and started hitting him with her purse to try and stop them from repossessing her car. When he had finished his story, he told her he had to get back to work, gave her a quick kiss, and went back to the garage. 

Chibs was waiting for her by the ring. “Dani girl. Ready to try something new?” At her nod, he jumped up onto the edge of the ring and held out his hand to her. He helped her up and through the ropes so she was standing in the ring. 

She felt a little self-conscious up there. She could see Jax and a few other from the garage sitting around, taking their turn at lunch. ‘At least no one seems to be paying attention.’ She thought to herself.

“PROSPECT!” Chibs shouted at the top of his lungs. Everyone turned to look at them. Kip came out from the clubhouse wearing a padded suit. He climbed into the ring, thought he struggled to move between the ropes due to the bulk of the suit.

“What is this?” Dani asked nervously.

“This is your self defense dummy. We borrowed the suit from Lumpy’s Gym. Ya need to know how to get away if someone tries to grab ye, right?”

Dani nodded more hesitantly. “I guess. I just wasn’t expecting…” She trailed off. 

“And ye won’t be expecting it of someone tries to grab ye off the street either.” He warned her that Kip was going to come and grab her from behind. Dani tensed and felt uncomfortable as Kips arms came around her. She told herself that she knew who this was, and she needed to know how to do this and focused on Chibs instructions on how to slow down or incapacitate someone from that angle. She drove her elbow into Kips gut and heard him let out an “oof” as the impact hit him even through the padding of his suit and stomped on his foot before breaking out of his grasp and taking a few hurried steps away. 

Dani stood there, muscles tense and tried to keep herself from trembling. Chibs praised her, though as he did, he took in her state. “Can ye try a few more or do ye need to stop for the day?” he asked.

Dani appreciated the fact that he had noticed her discomfort and that helped her relax slightly. “Just a couple more, ok?” She asked.

Chibs nodded approvingly. “There’s a good lass.” He guided her back to Kip and walked her through a few more moves, having her try them a couple of times each before he stopped them for the day. He helped her out of the ring before telling her “Ye did good today. I know ye dinne like that, but it’s like exposure therapy. If you can train yourself how to react when someone grabs ye like that, then if it ever happens in real life, ye won’t freeze up, yer body will just know what to do.”

Dani felt extremely grateful for the Scott’s words and the effort he had put into teaching her and she wrapped her arms around him suddenly, hugging him with gratitude. “Thank you.” She said when she let go. 

“Anytime lass. Take a few days to rest and let me know when yer ready for another lesson.” Dani nodded and went to sit with Jax as he finished his lunch. She saw Opie watching her from the garage and she gave him a nod to let him know she was good. 

“Hey ass kicker.” Jax said as she sat with him and she laughed. “You doing ok?”

Dani smiled. “I am. I almost wasn’t, but I got a reminder of why this is important and that you and Opie aren’t the only ones who have my back.”

Jax gave her a big grin. “It’s about damn time you figured that out. I was starting to think you were slow or something.” He teased. 

Dani shook her head as she chuckled. “I’m gonna go get cleaned up. I’m now the stinky one between us, and I can’t have that.” She leaned over and gave him big squeeze. “Stinky hugs.” She said as she got up from the table as Jax laughed at her and threatened payback. 

She went inside and grabbed her bag from the bar and, she let herself into Opie’s dorm. She showered and changed into her Bermuda length jean shorts and vee neck tee shirt. She slid her shoes back on and sat on the couch with her book. She curled up intending to read, but she must have dozed off because the next thing she knew Opie was gently shaking her awake. She sat up and stretched.

“Hey.” She said. “What time is it?” 

“Ten til six. Almost time to go to church.” He told her.

Dani felt a weight settle in her chest when said that. She looked up at him, the concern on her face obvious. “I’m worried about what’s going to happen,” she confessed.

Opie knelt down in front of her and placed a hand on his knee. “What do you want to happen?” he asked her. 

“I don’t know. I just think about all the what ifs and it scares me. I wonder if--.” She broke off, uncertain how to voice her concerns. 

“Hey, it’s going to be ok. I promise.” Dani wrapped her arms around Opie’s shoulders in a fierce hug as his arms wrapped around her back and he pulled her close. He pulled back and gave her a reassuring kiss. “Come on, it’s time to go.” He stood and held his hands out for her. When she took them, he pulled her to her feet, not letting go of her hand, and led her out into the main room of the clubhouse. He guided her to a seat at the bar, telling Kip to bring her a drink. Pressing a kiss to her forehead he left her, joining the others in their ‘chapel.’ 

Dani sat there, bouncing her knee. She heard someone enter the bar area and saw Gemma approaching. She sat a few seats away from her and didn’t speak for a few minutes. “Didn’t expect you’d be here.” Dani said eventually.

“Thought you might want some company while you wait.” Gemma said.

Dani shook her head. “I’m surprised you care.” She said. 

“I care. Despite what you think, baby, I love you. It may be different than how I love Jackson, how I loved Thomas, but you’re mine and I do love you. Someone hurts you, they hurt me too. I want those men to pay almost as much as you do.”

Dani stared at her in disbelief. “You’re giving me a severe case of whiplash, one minute you tell me you don’t love me like you’re my mother, the next you’re saying shit like that, acting all Mama Bear. I don’t know what you want from me.”

“I just want another chance to know my daughter.” Gemma told her. Dani thought she could sense honesty coming from her but she sighed. 

“For how long? A day? A minute? How long will you act like a mother and then pull away again? I’m trying so hard to build myself up, to build a life here. Yesterday, with you… that gutted me. I can’t handle any more than that. I need you to figure out exactly what you want out of our relationship, and know that even when you figure that out, it will take time to get there.”

Gemma nodded and the two reverted back into silence. Dani didn’t know how long the two women sat there when the door to the chapel opened, and they both turned in that direction to see Tig standing in the open door. “Dani, come here for a minute, will ya, sweetheart?” He asked, though Dani knew it wasn’t really a question. 

She got up and slowly made her way over to him and he stepped aside for her to enter the room. The door closed behind her and She felt Tig walk by her as he returned to his seat. Dani took another step into the room where she saw the club members seated around the table. She was grateful that Opie was so close to the door as she took another step and put her hand on his shoulder.

Clay cleared his throat. “Dani, you gave Jax some information about your kidnappers?” Dani could see her journal and the camera sitting on the table. She nodded. “Why?” Clay asked.

“I know the relationship this club has with law enforcement is questionable. Like I told Jax and Opie, my plan was to give the journal to the police when it was finished, but I gave it to Jax because I didn’t know if that was the right way to handle it.”

“Do you know what happens if we handle it?” Clay asked.

“I have some idea.” Dani replied.

“What do you want to happen to these men?” Clay questioned further. 

“What do I want? I want them to be found and tortures sufficiently for days before having their dicks chopped off and shoved down their throat while they bleed to death.” Dani paused considering how to continue. “But more than that, I want the people I care about to be safe, and I worry that if you all try and go after these people that something would happen to you. These people, I might of met all of them in their sick little pervert ring. But I worry that its more likely that they’re part of something bigger. And if that’s the case it’s too dangerous for you to do anything, to risk yourselves. I think either way, whether its you or the police that try and find them, that it’s pointless.”

“Why?”

“I’ve been thinking about this for a while. If you look at the information I have objectively, there’s not enough there to track down anyone. I have some first names, some faces, a handful of occupations. I have no last names, no idea where the hell I was being held. The entire country is too big of a search grid. As much as I want revenge, I think the best that can be done is for you to know what kind of people they are, and for me to stay vigilant in case they try to come for me and to have no mercy on the soul that tries to come for me again.”

Dani could feel the tenseness in Opie’s shoulder. She was pretty sure he didn’t like what she was saying, and by the look on Jax’s face he didn’t either. 

“One more thing, Dani.” Clay said. “What’s on the camera? Your boys here have been pretty vague.”

Dani shifted on her feet. “That might be because I asked them not to watch it unless they absolutely had to. It’s a recording of me being… raped… it shows how I got the scars on my back. It also shows how I escaped by…” Dani took a deep breath, “by killing the man who gave me these scars.” 

Dani could tell there was some skepticism from some of the men on the room. She was sure by her frequent public meltdowns that most of them thought her too meek to be able to kill. She was sure Jax and Opie believed her, and she thought Chibs might as well. Clay nodded. “You can go now. We’ll be done soon.” He told her. 

Dani turned and left, closing the door behind her. She returned to her seat at the bar and glanced at Gemma. “They just had some questions. They’re still deciding, I think, but Clay said they would be done soon.” She told her mother. 

The two women returned to their previous silence. Fifteen minted ticked by, which grew to thirty, and then forty-five. It was almost an hour later when the door finally opened again. Opie was the first one out and he walked straight towards her. Dani barely had time to register that his eyes were red like he was upset before she was engulfed in his arms. He held her tightly to him and after a minute she was ready to remind him she needed to breathe when she felt an hand on her shoulder as Jax pulled her out of Opie’s grip before pulling her into a similar embrace. She pulled away from Jax to see that he too looked disturbed and. looking around the room, she could see that trouble on the face of pretty much everyone. 

“What the hell is going on?” She said looking back and for the between Jax and Opie. Realization dawned on her. “You watched it, didn’t you?” she asked in a whisper. Neither of them would meet her eye at that moment but Jax nodded. Dani felt the bile rise in her throat and she barely had tome to barrel past them and launch herself into the restroom before losing the contents of her stomach. She didn’t register someone holding back her hair or rubbing circles on her back until she was finished. Opie and Jax were on either side of her, Opie was holding her hair and Jax was patting her back. She shoed them away as she flushed the toilet and went to the sink to rinse out her mouth. 

When she turned to face them, it was her who could not meet their eyes this time. “I didn’t want you to see that, to see me like that.” She whispered, referring to the tape, as she wiped at her face to keep the tears from coming. 

Opie pulled her to him. “I’m sorry, but we had to know.” He told her. 

She nodded. “What did you decide?” she asked.

“You’re right about the information not being much as far as where to search, so we are going to go about this on both ends of the law. Juice is making a copy of the journal, and you’re going to give the original to the feds, see if that will get rid of them for a while. If we find anything out, we’ll take another vote to decide how to handle it then.” Jax told her. 

Dani nodded. It made a certain amount of sense. “I get it. It’s smart.”

“We’ll get Rosen to set a meet with them on Monday after your court hearing to hand off the journal. We’ll tell them you’re not answering any questions about the contents unless they get a viable lead from your information. Hopefully that will get them off your back for a while.” Jax told her.

Dani nodded and leaned into Opie. “Ok.” She said. “Can we go home now? I don’t really want to be here when everyone has just seen, well, you know.”

“Yeah. You got your stuff?” Opie asked.

Dani shook her head. “It’s in your room.” She said. 

“I’ll get it and meet you guys outside.” Jax told them.

Opie tucked her into his side, and he led her through the clubhouse. Dani followed Opie out the door and she was grateful that no one came near them or said anything. What she didn’t know was that Opie was shooting daggers with his eyes in warning to anyone who looked like they might as he guided her to the exit. 

The fresh evening air helped to cool her nerves and she climbed on the back of Opie’s bike, resting her face against his back while she waited for Jax. A moment later he handed off her bag and told her he would see her the next day, they had a surprise waiting for her and said goodnight. She wrapped her arms around Opie and closed her eyes, feeling the wind around her as he took off and drove them out of the lot and into the night.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Neither Dani nor Opie spoke as they dismounted his bike when they returned home that evening. He took her hand and led her into the house. 

Dani took a breath and voiced one of the questions that were concerning here. “Opie, are you upset with me?”

Opie’s eyes shot to her. “No. Of course not, babe. Why would you think that?” He wrapped his arms around her as he looked down at her.

“Back at the clubhouse, when I said I’d rather do nothing than risk someone getting hurt going after…them, you seemed tense. Like you were maybe upset.”

“Upset at the idea of doing nothing, yes, upset with you, never. Baby, you have no idea how much I want hurt those people. Your ideas of revenge are tame in comparison to what I want to do to them. Doing nothing is not acceptable. We may have to be smart about it, but one way or another, they will pay for what they did to you.” The look in his eyes was so intense that Dani thought she might drown from just looking into them, so she looked away. Opie put her a hand under her chin and gently nudged her head back up to look at him. “What else is bothering you?” he asked softly.

Dani’s eyes filled with tears. “You saw… you saw everything. It’s one thing to know it happened, or to see it written down in vague details, or to see the aftermath,” at that she touched the scar on her shoulder, “but to actually see what he did to me, how he hurt me, carved into me like that. Then to see me kill him—”

“That part was mildly satisfying.” Opie interjected, but Dani shot him a look and he stopped talking.

“I’m terrified that at some point its going to hit you how messed up my past is, it will wind up being too much and you won’t want me anymore.” She confessed.

“Baby, I’ll say this as many times as you need before you really believe it. I knew what I was getting into when we started this. Your past will never change how I feel about you. The only thing that matters is what’s between us right now, what we’ve been doing, what we do now and going forward. I want this. I want you, you got it?”

Dani nodded and, placing her hands on his face, pulled him to her for a kiss. When she finally removed her lips from his she looked into his eyes and said “I want this too.”

“No more overthinking, ok?” Opie said placing a kiss on her neck.

“I’ll try.” Dani said. Opie looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “What? I’m not going to be able to shut off my overactive brain overnight, but I promise if I start thinking crazy thoughts to let you chase them away.”

“Acceptable,” he said with a smirk. He moved his hands up to her shoulders to give her a squeeze and frowned at the stiffness he encountered. “You’re so tense.” He said rubbing her shoulders.

“It’s been an intense day.” She said. A thought flitted through her mind and she spoke before she could talk herself out of it. “Maybe you could give me a backrub…” she suggested. 

Opie looked surprised but intrigued. “Are you sure? Last time I had my hands on your back, it didn’t end well.” 

“OK, this might sound a little weird, but it was something Chibs said to me that got me thinking. When we working together after lunch and he had Kip in that suit, I almost freaked out with all the grabbing at me, but Chibs said it was like exposure therapy, if I can train my body not to freeze if somebody comes after me, I’ll be able to try and escape without thinking or freaking out. So I figure that exposure therapy will work with this as well. If I can train myself not to think about my scars when you touch and just focus on you touching me and how much I like that, ten we should give it a try.” She bit her lip and looked up at him coyly. “It’s very scientific. I think we ow it…to science.”

Opie smirked at her and leaned in so his lips were practically touching her ear as he spoke in a low, rumbling tone. “Well, if its in the name of science…” he nipped at her earlobe, eliciting a gasp. “Go to your room, take off your shirt and lay down on your stomach. I’ll be there in a minute.” His voice had a slight edge of command do it, and it sent tingles running through her body. She nodded and backed up to move towards her room when he tightened his grip on her shoulders and pulled her in for a searing kiss. When he released her she felt flushed as she felt her insides stir with desire.

She retreated to her room and closed the door. She changed out of her jean shorts, choosing to slip into some more comfortable pajama shorts. She pulled off her top and, after a moment’s hesitation, her bra as well, and crawled into bed, laying on her stomach, grabbing a pillow to rest her head on and tucked her arms under the pillow. She stared at the door as she lay there waiting until she heard a knock at the door.

“Come in.” She called softly.

She saw the door open as Opie entered and her mouth went dry. Opie had changed too, and was currently shirtless, wearing only a pair of sweatpants that hung low on his hips, so Dani took a moment to admire his broad, muscled, tattooed chest. She felt her face flush as she saw his own heated gaze as he took in the sight of her bare back and shapely legs.

“Hi,” she said softly feeling suddenly shy.

Opie’s gaze softened as his eyes met hers. He stepped closer and crawled on the bed so he was kneeling on the bed beside her. He leaned down to press a kiss to her cheek. “You are so beautiful.” He told her as he brushed her hair off to the side to expose all her back and shoulders to him. He placed his hand at her neck and began tracing his way down to the base of her spine. As his hand started reaching the lower part of her back, Dani felt herself start to tense and so did Opie, so he leaned down and pressed a kiss to the side of her neck. “Don’t think. Just feel.” He reminded her as he began to trace his way back up her spine using only the barest touch of his fingernails. 

The ghosting scratches caused her to shiver with a delicious sensation and Dani closed her eyes and allowed herself to relax and focus on the feeling his touches evoked. When he reached her neck again, Opie moved to straddle her legs and picked up a bottle of lotion he had brought into the room with him. He poured some into his hands and rubbed them together before he returned them to her neck and began massaging her neck and shoulders, working the tension out of her muscles. Dani sighed in contentment as he worked. “Does that feel good, baby?” he asked her.

“Mmm-hmmm.” She managed to hum her satisfaction. Opie continued working her muscles with his hands, slowly moving down her back. As he approached her lower back, he leaned over her and started pressing a series of hot, open mouth kisses to each of the burn marks that marred her left shoulder. The normal intensity that Dani felt when Opie touched her increased tenfold and she felt a jolt of pleasure move through her with each kiss he placed to his back, all the while working his hands across her lower back.

He then moved to her right shoulder and kissed at the scar that wrapped around her shoulder before moving his lips across her back, pressing scorching kisses anywhere his lips encountered the raised skin of a scar. Dani let out a gasp of pleasure as he moved across her back in this manner. As his kisses moved to her lower back, Opie’s hands moved to massage her ass and the tops of her thighs. 

Dani’s breathing was shallow; she was utterly lost in the moment, with no conscious thought of the scars Opie was lavishing with attention, only in the feelings he was evoking and wanted to feel more. In a moment of boldness, she shifted underneath him enough for him to pull back. She turned underneath him so she was now laying on her back and exposing the creamy smoothness of her stomach and the fullness of her breasts, topped with rigid rosy pink nipples. 

Opie took in the sight of her as she reached up and put her hands on his body, roaming over his chest and abdomen, causing him to let out a groan of his own. She moved her hands back up to his shoulders and pulled his face to hers so she could kiss him. As their tongues began an intimate dance, Opie did two things. First he moved his leg to midge between her thighs, which she parted willingly to make for him. As he settled there, his hardness made contact with her center. At the same time, one hand instinctively found its way to her breast and he massaged the flesh in his palm, running his thumb over her nipple. He had pulled away from the kiss to gauge her reaction to his actions. She was looking at him with lust and longing and pulled him back into another kiss as he rocked into her again. This time she lifted her hips to meet his and to increase the delightful friction the motion was causing. 

They settled into a pleasing rhythm and Opie pulled her lower lip in between his teeth and gave it a gentle tug as he broke away from the kiss and began a trail of kisses down her neck to her chest. He circle her nipple with his tongue before sucking the rigid flesh into his mouth. Dani’s hands flew to Opie’s head wound into his hair as she clasped him there to her as she moaned out his name. He alternated between sucking on her nipple, flicking it with his tongue and gently taking it between his teeth for a playful tug. He never stayed with one action too long, successfully driving Dani crazy as she let out incoherent sounds of pleasure. 

He moved from one breast to the other to give it its fair share of attention and as he did so his hands drifted down her stomach to the waistband of her shorts and stroked back and forth along her skin there. Removing his lips from her nipple, he looked into her eyes. “Baby, can I touch you here? Let me make you feel good. I want to feel you come around my fingers.” Opie’s words went right to her core and made her feel like she was on fire in the best of ways, but her hand went to his at her waist, and instantly his hand stilled. The look in his eyes shifted from desire to concern. “Is it too much?” He asked.

Dani shook her head. “No. God, Opie, you have no idea how good this feels, how much I want you to keep going, but I should tell you…” She trailed off and her face flushed with embarrassment. “I’ve never, er, had an…orgasm before. I’m not even sure I can. So you, uh, don’t have to…” She stopped talking and covered her face to try and hide her embarrassment.

Opie gently drew her hand away from her face and took a moment to pepper little kisses across her cheeks and forehead, even one on her nose. He understood why she wouldn’t have reached that point during her captivity, when she was being forced, but he asked, “You haven’t been able to give yourself one?”

Dani shook her head. “I, uh, started trying a little before I came to Charming. I just can never get there.” She confessed, sure her face was redder than it had ever been.

“But you like what I’m doing tonight?” Opie asked her.

“God, yes.” She blurted out and Opie chuckled. 

“Let me keep making you feel good, then. If it doesn’t happen, you still feel good, and we’ll try something different another night and keep trying until we find something that works. And if it works, well then we both win.” He placed a kiss on her collarbone and looked back at her. “Do you want to try?” Dani slowly nodded. Opie shifted back up on his knees as both his hands rent to her waistband this time. “Can I see you, baby?”

Dani bit her lip wantonly and nodded again. Opie’s hands dipped under each side of her waistband and dragged down her shorts and panties together in one motion and removed them from her body. He took her face in his hands and leaned down, kissing her passionately. “Remember, don’t think, just feel.” He told her as he removed his lips from hers and began trailing kisses from her neck back to her breasts to resume his ministrations there. At the same time his hand moved down across the smooth skin of her stomach, down further until his fingers slid between her slick folds. 

She let out a soft cry of pleasure as his fingers made contact with her clit. “That’s it baby,” he told her, “just feel it.” His fingers began moving in circles over her sensitive nub. “You’re so wet, so ready for me, aren’t you baby.” He murmured in between placing slow kisses across her neck and chest. 

Dani whimpered at the loss of contact when his fingers moved from their current spot and traveled further south but let out another gasp of pleasure as they began teasing her entrance. He slowly inserted first one then two fingers inside her and slowly began stroking in and out. At the same time his thumb moved to resume the circling motion on her clit. 

She felt like every nerve ending in her body was tuned into what was happening at her center, sending flashes of fire and pleasure through her with each movement of his thumb as her arousal grew. It felt like an intense pressure in the lowest part of her stomach, aching to burst. Dani began rocking her hips against the movement of his hand, once again trying to increase the friction. 

Opie began kissing his way from her breasts down her stomach, and in one swift motion removed his thumb and replaced it with his mouth without disrupting the movement of his other fingers and they stroked in and out of her. 

Dani forgot how to breathe for a moment as she felt her pleasure rising, the pressure in her stomach building exponentially. She finally drew in a ragged breath. “Oh, God, Opie!” she cried out. Opie increased the speed of his fingers and began curling his fingers every time he moved inside of her, hitting a spot with each stroke that caused more pleasure than she thought possible. At the same time he hummed in satisfaction at her cries of pleasure. It was that combination, the vibration from his hum, the movements of his tongue over her clit, and that delicious spot inside her that he kept hitting that caused her to reach her breaking point. She cried out as the intensity that had been building inside her snapped, causing her body to spasm and clamp around his fingers as she felt wave after wave of pleasure, of fire wash over her as her insides flooded with her release. 

Opie continued his ministrations with his tongue and fingers until the last spasm passed through her before he finally withdrew from her and moved back up her body to lay next to her as his arms wrapped around her. Dani grabbed at Opie’s face and brought him to her for a desperate kiss. Dani didn’t care that she could taste herself on Opie’s lips, she just focused on putting all of her emotion into the kiss. Breaking away only when she needed to breathe, she gasped. “Opie, I—that—wow.” Was all she could manage to say. 

She could feel the rumbling of his chest next to her as he chuckled. “That’s good, baby.” He said, his voice full of amusement and satisfaction. Dani put her hand on his chest, and she registered that she could feel Opie’s arousal pressing against her side. She contemplated returning the favor but paused. As much as she wanted to please Opie in return, she wasn’t sure she was ready to cross another physical barrier.

As usual, Opie seemed to sense what she was thinking, and his hand came up to entwine itself with hers where it rested on his chest. “Tonight is all about you,” he said, and his eyes looked at her is what she could only describe as adoration, a look she was sure she was returning. Opie pressed a tender kiss to her forehead and moved to get up. Dani’s hand tightening over his paused his movement. “I’ll be right back," he told her as he went into her bathroom. She heard the sink running, and Opie returned a moment later with a damp washcloth and he gently cleaned her up.

He returned the washcloth to the bathroom and then went to her dresser, searching through her drawers until he came back with an oversized sleep shirt and panties. He helped her dress before climbing back into bed with her, holding her in his arms. She felt so complete, so satisfied, that she tried one more time to try and express herself. “Opie, I…” She trailed off again as she failed to find the right words to convey what she needed to. 

Opie gave her another tender kiss. “I know, baby. Shh. It’s all right. Get some rest.” He whispered. She snuggled into him and closed his eyes, letting herself succumb to the exhaustion brought on by her utter bliss.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

“Are you sure we have to go out today?” Dani called out as she sat on the edge of her bed brushing her hair.

Opie had woken her that morning with a series of kisses placed on her neck and shoulders, telling her they needed to get up and start getting ready for the day because he and Jax had a surprise for her.

She pulled her hair to the side and began to braid it as she inspected herself in the mirror. She was wearing a pair of shorts that stopped just above her knee and a lilac colored shirt with a v neck. Dani tied off her braid with a hair elastic and slipped on some sandals as Opie appeared in her doorway.

“Don’t you want your surprise?” he asked her.

“It’s not about that. I feel like so much stuff keeps coming up, and it’s emotionally draining. I was kind of hoping for a couple days of peace, just hanging out around the house with you.” She stood and walked towards him.

“I know it’s been a lot lately,” Opie replied, wrapping his arms around her. “But trust me, you are really going to like this surprise.” 

“Ok,” Dani nodded, giving him a smile. She moved to step out of his arms so they could go but he stopped her and pulled her in for a kiss.

“Next week, after your court hearing, before you jump into everything you’ve been waiting to do, we’ll pick a day, and we’ll sleep in and spend the day however you want, ok?” he offered.

“Promise?” Dani asked. 

“Promise.” Opie said and kissed her again. Just then his phone started to go off, and he flipped it open to answer it when there was a knock at the door. “Can you get the door? It’s probably Jax.”

Dani nodded and left Opie to his call and made her way to the door. 

“Oh my god!” she exclaimed when she opened the door. It was not her brother that caused her to cry out, though he was standing there too, just behind an older woman with skin tanned from working too much under the sun and wild white curls. “Alice!”

Dani reached out and pulled the woman into the house before launching herself at her in an excited hug. 

“Oh, my sweet girl.” Alice said as they two women held each other for several minutes. Dani poured all the love and gratitude she felt for Alice into the hug. This was the first time she had ever embraced the older woman and she wanted to make sure Alice knew exactly how much she cared. When they separated a few minutes later both ladies’ eyes were misted over with unshed tears. “Let me look at you. I hardly recognize you; you look so happy.”

“How did you get here?” Dani asked. 

“When we spoke last week, you didn’t seem quite yourself, so when I kicked you out of the room to talk with your dear brother, here,” Alice said gesturing to Jax, “we concocted this little scheme and he got your other friend here to help. Now be a dear if you don’t mind and introduce me.”

Dani turned and gave Jax a hug saying, “Thank you,” before turning to Opie and doing the same. “Apparently, you’ve already met Jax, so Alice, this is Opie Winston. Opie this is Alice Martin.”

Dani found herself amused that Opie seemed slightly nervous at meeting Alice. Alice on the other hand gave Opie a look like she was sizing him up, reached up to grab him by the shoulders and pressed her cheek to his in a kiss. “It’s very nice to meet you, Opie. I’ve heard some very good things about you.”

“It’s nice to meet you too ma’am. Thank you for taking care of Dani until she found her way home.” Opie replied.

“None of that ma’am business. Call me Alice, and there are no thanks required. She gave me as much as I gave her.” Alice looked fondly at Dani.

“Oh Alice, you old softie.”

“As glad as I am to see you, I think I am not the only surprise in store for you today,” Alice torned to look at Jax for confirmation. 

He nodded. “That’s right, we should probably head out.”

“There’s more?” Dani asked. “This is already—”

“Yeah yeah, it’s the best surprise ever already but we still have to go.” Jax interrupted, guiding everyone to the door. Dani followed as Jax and Alice stepped outside, Opie was the last one out, locking up the house behind him. 

“Go with Alice, Jax and I are going to ride, and we’ll meet you there,” Opie told her. 

Dani nodded and followed Alice to a gray rental car. Jax made sure Alice had the directions queued up on the GPS in case they got separated. When Dani asked where they were going Jax just gave her a grin and said, “You’ll see.” 

They took off driving and Alice Glanced over at Dani and said. “You really do look good dear. I was worried after our last chat, but you seem better.”

“I am.” Dani explained about both of her talks with Gemma, the news article, her fears, as well as the steps she had started to take to feel safer.

“It is so good to see you opening up and facing things head on. You’ve grown so much in the short time that you’ve been here. Despite all your concerns, you seem genuinely happy,” Alice told her before a sly smile spread across the older woman’s face. “I think a young man may have some part to play in that happiness.”

Dani’s face flushed with embarrassment, but she couldn’t help but smile. “Alice you’re as bad as Jax, the way you tease me.”

“Come now, it’s just a little girl talk. What makes Opie so special to you?”

“A lot of things really. From pretty much the first time we met, he just seemed to know what I needed, almost before I did. He knows when I need space, when I need something to occupy myself, when I just need him nearby. He knows without me saying anything. He sees the best in me and helps bring it out. And he’s so patient with me when I need to figure out what’s going on in my head.”

“That’s very good to hear. I’m so glad to see you getting the happiness that you deserve.”

“How long are you here for?” Dani asked. 

“I’m leaving Monday shortly after your court hearing, but I just couldn’t miss your legal resurrection,” Alice told her. 

Dani laughed. “What would I do without you, Alice?”

The two women continued to chat as the drive continued. Dani grew increasingly more curious the longer the drive went on, and by the time she realized they had reached San Francisco she was dying to know what was going on. When they finally pulled into a large parking lot, they were directed to a spot by parking attendants. 

Dani stepped out of the car and took in the people around her and the structure they were all walking towards before turning to Jax and Opie. “Are you taking me to a baseball game?” she asked excitedly.

“It was on your list, right?” Opie asked. 

Dani gave each of them a hug as they began making their way into the stadium. She couldn’t help but notice the number of people in the crowd also headed for the stadium. She doubted she had ever seen that many people in her entire life put together and began to feel a little anxious in the crowd. She moved a bit closer to Opie as they moved through the crowd and grabbed his hand.

“You ok?” Opie asked.

Dani nodded. “Just a lot of people,” she said, giving him a nervous smile and changed the subject, asking to stop at the gift shop. She bought herself a Giants jersey in the gift shop and put it on right away before they all stopped to grab a drink and a hot dog on the way to their seats. She hoped her anxiety would ease once seated, but with people shuffling to their seats in the row right behind them, and needing to stand and make room for people to pass by them in their own row, Dani was feeling anxious being in such close contact with so many strangers. Opie wrapped an arm around her shoulder and left it there which allowed her to relax somewhat and pay attention as her friends instructed her on the rules of the game. Dani was enjoying herself, laughing as everyone sang ‘Take Me Out to the Ballgame,’ the jumbo screen that highlighted some of the more amusing antics of certain crowd members, and the game itself. Every time she would feel herself start to relax completely though someone would need to shuffle past her to get to or from their seat, and her anxiety would flare up again. 

When Opie suggested they leave at the start of the seventh inning to avoid the mass off people trying to exit all at once, Dani was relieved when Jax and Alice agreed. As they exited the park she took in a deep breath and exhaled, finally letting the tension leave her body. “I’m sorry guys,” she apologized. “I feel bad for making us leave the game early. I was having a good time, I swear, there were just so many people here.”

“We should have thought of that,” Jax told her with an apology of his own. “There’s a lot of minor teams around here that are a lot less crowded, we should have gone to one of those. I just wanted you to have fun.”

“I did, I promise.” Dani assured him.

When they got to the Car, Opie held the door open for her before getting on his bike. Despite having left early, they had a little bit of a wait to get out of the parking lot due to traffic, but once they were out they found a Chinese restaurant where they stopped for dinner before driving back to Charming. 

When they got home, Dani insisted that Alice stay with them instead of checking into a hotel like she had planned. Dani sent Opie to the car for her bag as she told Alice she would take her rom for the weekend and began changing the sheets. The four of them sat around the kitchen table as they talked, laughed, and taught Dani how to play the card game Hearts. 

As it got later Jax left and the others went to bed. As Dani crawled into Opie’s bed with him and he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close to be his little spoon, he nuzzled his face into her neck and placed a small kiss. “Are you happy, baby?” he asked. Dani hummed and nodded. She was very happy. 

The next morning, she woke up and was alone in bed. She made her way into the living room and kitchen to see Alice and Opie sitting at the table. They had been talking, she knew, because she could hear the murmuring of their voices, but they stopped when they saw her. 

Dani eyed the two briefly. “Good morning.” She said. They each greeted her and began a new conversation as the three of them now sat around the table with their coffee and breakfast. 

After breakfast, Dani took Alice outside and showed her the garden, and the two women sat and tended to the growing vegetables and then weeded along the fence line. Opie had disappeared into the garage where he was working on his bike, and Jax had come over and joined him at some point, though Dani wasn’t sure when. 

After the ladies had finished their yard work, Alice made a batch of lemonade and they sat on the back deck talking the day away. As it started getting later, they moved inside and worked together to make fried chicken, mashed potatoes with gravy, corn on the cob, greens, and flaky, buttery biscuits. 

Dani called Jax and Opie in for dinner, and once everyone was washed up and seated around the table, they dug in. Alice and Dani smiled as the guys praised the food, helping themselves to seconds and then thirds. 

They cleaned up the dinner mess and settled in the living room for a movie. Once again Jax said goodnight and left as the remaining three started another movie. 

That night Dani had trouble sleeping and she kept tossing and turning. Her movements must have woken Opie up because she heard him mumble, “Bad dreams?”

“No,” Dani whispered back, “just nervous about tomorrow.”

“Everything will turn out fine. Try and sleep,” He said rubbing her back.

\-------------------------------------------------------------

Dani found herself the next day sitting in a courtroom, surrounded by Jax, Opie and Alice, waiting for her name to be called. Mr. Rosen, their attorney was there as well. She sat there, right leg jittering from nerves, before she could not take it another moment, she had to get up. Making an excuse to go to the restroom, she left the others where they were and exited the courtroom as quietly as she could. 

She made her way down the marbled corridor and found the ladies room. She turned on the sink, grabbed a paper towel and wet it with the cool water from the faucet before dabbing the towel across her neck and forehead. ‘Deep breaths,’ she told herself, willing her nerves to calm. She turned off the faucet and threw away her towels but as she started to open the door she heard a familiar voice and caught a glimpse of Agent Green talking on the phone through the crack in the door as she held it slightly ajar. 

She didn’t know what made her pause to listen to the conversation but she did, listening as best she could, though she lost parts of his conversation when he turned away “…understand the need for interagency cooperation, but he’s intimidated a witness of….” “…formal complaint to the ATF regarding his behavior…” “…leaked information to the press…” “…meeting with her and the attorney today to hand over information vital to the case. He’s been instructed to…”

Dani waited, but could not hear any more of the conversation and when she investigated the hallway again it was empty. She hurried back to the courtroom. Dani sat down again between Opie and Jax, and she glanced at them both, trying to convey that she had something to tell them but before she could try her name was being called. She stood with Rosen as they proceeded to the front of the courtroom. 

“Ah, a bit of good news to bright up my day. Miss Teller, I have before me a petition to reverse a presumption of death order. I see genetic testing has been done to confirm identity and the proper paperwork has been submitted to reactivate your social security number, is this correct?”

“Yes, Your Honor,” Mr. Rosen said.

“Very good. I understand you have been through quite the ordeal Miss Teller, but I congratulate you on being able to return home and wish you the best going forward. I am approving the petition before me and issuing an order to reverse the pre presumptive death certificate. Good luck, Miss teller.”

“That’s it?” Dani asked astonished. 

“That’s it,” the judge replied with a chuckle. 

“Thank you, sir.” Dani said and followed Rosen as he collected something from the court clerk and then to the back of the courtroom where they met up with the others and quickly filed out of the courtroom and into the hallway. 

Dani was passed around the group as all three of them wanted to give her a hug. When she came to Alice, the woman told her she had to leave or she would miss her flight. “I’m so proud of you, my sweet girl. You stay strong and open to life’s possibilities and you can do anything.” Alice told her before turning to Jax and Opie. “Now you boys take good care of our girl here, or else you’ll answer to me.” She said in a faux-stern tone before giving each of them a hug goodbye with a kiss on the cheek. She reached up and gave Jax a pinch on the cheek “If I was 50 years younger…” she warned playfully.

Jax put his hand over his heart. “If I were 50 years older…” he replied with a wink and they both chuckled as Alice made her way out of the courthouse. 

“That was disturbing,” Dani said. “You really need to stop flirting with my old lady friends.” She told her brother.

“She flirted with me first.” Jax argued. 

Rosen cleared his throat. “We need to hurry if we are going to get to the meeting on time.” With that he started walking And Dani rushed to keep up as he continued speaking. “Now this should be relatively short. You don’t have to say anything. I’m going to hand over the journal and let them know that you are unavailable to be questioned further regarding the information you provided unless it results in an actionable lead. Any questions?” He asked her and she shook her head no

“Wait.” She stopped him before they went in the conference room that had been reserved for them. Pulling them off to the side she spoke quietly. “I overheard Agent Green talking on the phone when I stepped out of the courtroom earlier. It sounded like he was complaining to his superiors about Agent Johnson. Agent Johnsons is not part of the FBI, he is with the ATF. Green doesn’t seem to like this or the way he’s interfered with the investigation.” Dani went over the parts of the conversation she overheard. She could tell both Jax and Opie were not happy with this news. Jax stepped away to make a call and came back a moment later. “Hand off the journal as we discussed but tell them that no one will be participating any further while the ATF is interfering with the FBI properly investigating Dani’s kidnapping.” He told Rosen before turning to Dani. “Don’t say anything in there, we’ll handle the ATF and make sure that asshole doesn’t interfere again, ok?” he told her, pulling her in for a hug. 

Dani nodded. “Let’s get this over with already.”

They went into the room, and immediately agent Johnson asked Jax and Opie to leave, but Rosen interjected. “That won’t be necessary,” Rosen took out the journal and handed it to Agent Green as he went on to explain that it had come to his attention that Agent Johnson was not with the FBI and had inserted himself in the investigation to get information on the Sons of Anarchy, and that there would be no further cooperation while that remained the case. Agent Johnson’s face was red with anger, though he said nothing. 

Agent Green appeared to have a satisfied look on his face, though he tried to hide it. “I apologize for how the case has been handled. While I cannot remove an agent from the case, I will be sure to pass your request on to our supervisors.” He told her. “And thank you for sharing what you know. It’s a brave thing to do, and I promise we will do everything we can to bring the people responsible for what happened to you to justice.” 

Dani simply nodded at him, then turned and left, with Jax Opie and Rosen behind her. They all thanked Rose, shaking his hand, and left.

Dani wrapped an arm around Jax and Opie as they exited the courthouse. “I’m alive!” She said dramatically, eliciting a chuckle from them both as they descended the steps and began walking towards their bikes. 

“How does if feel Dani girl?” Jax asked her. 

“It feels good to have it finally done. I feel like I can finally move forward on so many things that I couldn’t before. Is it nerdy that I’m so excited to be able to take the classes I need for my GED? I feel kind of nerdy, but I don’t really care.” She said. 

Opie smiled. “It’s not nerdy.”

“It is a little nerdy, he just thinks you’re cute,” teased Jax. 

Dani gave him a shove as they approached their motorcycles and took the helmet Opie held out for her. “You’re such a jerk,” she said with a smile as she snapped the helmet in place. 

Dani climbed on behind Opie. “Ready?” He asked her and she nodded. As she turned to rest her head against Opie’s back as she usually did she couldn’t help but see Agent Johnson come barreling out of the courthouse. She could tell he spotted them and watched as they took off and rode out of sight.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Dani smiled as she came out of the building and, spotting Opie, hurried in his direction. Opie took one last drag of the of the cigarette he was smoking before he put it out as she approached. 

“Well?” he asked.

Dani held out her hand. “Keys please.” She said. 

“Not so fast. Let me see it, woman.” Opie said, holding out his own hand. Dani placed the plastic card in his hand for Opie to inspect her newly minted driver’s license.

She had wanted to get it the previous day when they left the courthouse, but Opie had dropped her off at the house, telling her they had to handle some club business and was gone all day, not coming back until late.

“I didn’t know a license picture could look so damn pretty.” Opie scooped her up in a hug, lifting her feet off the ground. “Good job, babe,” he said, capturing her lips in a kiss as he set her back on the ground.

Dani smiled as he released her. “Thank you. Now hand over those keys.” 

Opie grabbed her hand and they walked towards her truck. “Sorry babe, I’m driving.”

“But it’s my truck.” Dani argued. “I can finally drive again, and I want to drive my truck.”

“And it’s all yours once we get to TM.” He said as he opened the passenger door for her.

Dani just stood there. “Is this some sort of macho guy thing? Cause I’m not sure I like it,” she said, irritated.

“That’s part of it. If I’m not bleeding, I’m driving. But I’m also old fashioned. I like driving my girl around, I like opening doors for you, doing things for you,” Opie told her.

Dani’s irritation softened slightly. “You’re not going to win this argument every time with that old-fashioned chivalry routine,” she said begrudgingly.

“Today I will,” he replied with a smirk as he helped her into the truck. He leaned in and kissed her softly. “Besides, you have to admit it, you like it when I do things for you.”

“I do, but that doesn’t mean you’re going to get to drive all the time,” she told him as he closed the door. 

“We’ll see.” He got in on the other side and started the truck. They had been driving in silence for a few minutes when Opie asked, “You aren’t mad are you?”

“No,” Dani shook her head. “Just thinking about something. I want to ask you something, but I don’t want you to take it the wrong way.”

“What’s on your mind?” He asked.

“When you asked me to stay with you, I know it was because I couldn’t sign a lease, and I was Jax’s sister, and we were sort of friends. I could sign a lease if I had to, and with us being…more than friends, I don’t want it to be awkward for you to have me there or think I’m taking advantage of your offer to stay. I’m not saying that I want to leave, because I don’t. I really like staying with you and seeing you every day, I just don’t—”

“Baby, take a breath.” Opie interjected. “If you’re asking if I want you to move out, the answer is no. I want you to stay. I like coming home to you. I like waking up with you. I don’t want you going anywhere.”

“Really?” Dani asked.

“Of course. Why wouldn’t I want you as close as I can get you?”

“It’s just not something we’ve talked about before. I was pretty sure, but I didn’t want to assume.” 

Opie reached over and took her hand. “Start assuming, babe. You’re my girl. I’m your guy. Got it?”

Dani smiled and squeezed his hand. “Got it.”

They spent the rest of the ride in a comfortable silence. When they arrived at Teller-Morrow and he had parked the car, Opie pulled Dani across the seat and crushed his mouth to hers in a searing kiss. As his mouth moved against hers, his hands moved up to cup her face. “Better?” He asked when he finally ended the kiss. 

Dani shook her head. “Better.”

“Good.” Opie said, and he opened the door and stepped out of the truck. Dani slid across the bench into the driver seat. “Where you off to today?” He asked turning to face her.

“Nothing crazy, thought I’d check with the animal shelter to see if they need any volunteers, stop by the bookstore, pick up a few groceries.” Dani told him. “I’ll be back to pick you up later.” She told him.

Opie leaned in for one last kiss before he stepped back and closed the door. Dani put the car in the reverse to back out of the space, and, with a wave, drove off. 

Dani found her way to the animal shelter, only making one wrong turn. Dani went inside and introduced herself to the woman behind the desk. She had a nametag that read Susan. She asked about volunteering and signed up to volunteer two afternoons a week starting next week. 

She then went to the bookstore and picked up a couple new novels and a few GED study guides. She checked out and was walking to her truck when she felt someone watching her. She glanced around but didn’t see anyone, so she brushed it off. People had been stealing glances at her since that article came out, she figured that must be what she was sensing. 

She climbed in the truck and drove herself to the grocery store. She grabbed a shopping cart and began working her way through the aisles, starting in produce and working her way to the deli. She was getting that feeling again, like she was being watched, but again she didn’t see anyone looking at her. She was sure she was being ridiculous, but she pulled out her phone and called Opie.

“Hey babe, what’s up? Miss me already?” Opie asked. 

“I need you to tell me I’m being crazy.” She said, feeling sheepish already

“Why? What’s going on?” He asked, immediately sounding alert.

“I’m sure its probably nothing, this is the first time I’ve been out on my own in public and I just—”

“What is it?” Opie asked again.

“I keep feeling like someone is watching me. I don’t see anyone, but I can’t shake the feeling since I left the bookstore. I know I’m being   
silly but I just can’t shake that feeling.” She told him.

“Where are you now?” Opie questioned.

“The grocery store.” Dani replied.

“Hang on a second.” He said, and she could hear him talking in the background. “Stay where you are. Jax and Chibs are on their way to you, and they’re going to follow you back here.” Opie said

“Are you sure that’s necessary? I’m sure I’m just being paranoid.” Dani said.

“Maybe, but we’re not taking chances. Stay inside until they get there and stay on the phone. Finish your shopping.” Opie instructed her; his tone serious.

Dani started to turn her cart to head down an aisle. “Ok, while we’re talking is there an—” Dany cut herself off with a yelp as she bumped into another cart. She dropped her phone and fumbled to catch it. “I’m so sorry,” she said as she maneuvered her cart back. “I wasn’t watching where I… Agent Johnson?” She asked as she finally looked up to see whose cart she had run into. Instinctively she glanced down to see that the call was still live, but she didn’t bring the phone back up to her ear. “What are you doing here?”

Agent Johnson grinned at her, but even his grin gave her the creeps. “Miss Teller, funny running into you here,” he said. 

“Is it? I was just thinking that it felt like someone was following me. I’m surprised you’re still on town, since I’ve already refused to speak with you twice now.” Dani said coldly.

“I may not be involved with any…direct interviewing of certain witnesses, but my superiors at the ATF and FBI have agreed that I still have value to add to this case.” Agent Johnson sneered. He took a step closer to her. “I don’t think you understand what you’re doing, getting involved with the Sons. I can help you.”

“Help me by getting me to give you information on my friends and family? Or help me by leaking my personal information to the press, complete with photos? Because I don’t see how either of those things are helpful to me.” Dani countered, taking a step back to try and keep some distance between them, but she had nowhere else to go as her back hit the shelving and she had a shopping cart on either side of her. “You should just give up now and leave me alone. I’m never going to talk with you about anything, especially my family.”

“You need to watch out, little girl, before you wind up in a world of trouble,” the agent growled, grabbing her arm with bruising strength, taking another step forward. He was close enough that the fabric of his shirt made contact with the fabric of hers and she could feel the angry heat radiating off his body. She flinched and tried to pull away, but Agent Johnson’s grip held firm. Dani’s fist on her free arm clenched into a fist instinctively, preparing to strike if necessary.

“Are you threatening me?” Dani asked. She glared at him. “You need to let me go and back off before I scream, or better yet, before some of my biker family that you are so interested show up and see you manhandling me. I’m sure that would go over really well.”

“You need to watch your back.” Agent Johnson warned before he released her and left the store, abandoning his cart. 

Dani stood there reminding herself to breathe for a moment when she heard her name being called. It sounded close, but far away at the same time, and that was when she remembered she was clutching her phone with Opie on the line. She pulled it up to her ear. “—re you there?” She heard.

“Opie? Did you hear all that?” she asked.

“Yeah, I heard.” She could hear the anger in his tone, though it shifted to concern as he continued. “Are you ok? Did he touch you?” he questioned.

“I’m ok. He grabbed my arm, but I’m ok. I’m upset but ok…or I’m trying to be, anyway.” Dani said. She was shaking slightly, but she knew she had to stay in control. 

“The guys should be almost there.” Opie assured her. “Are you going to be ok to drive?” He asked.

“I’ll be ok,” she told him. She started pushing her cart down the aisles, tossing random items in the cart. Opie kept talking to her as she finished shopping and made her way to the front of the store to check out.

She was starting to load the groceries onto the conveyor belt when she saw Jax and Chibs enter and she told Opie they had arrived as they came her way. Opie asked to talk to Jax, so once Jax had reached her and pulled her into a hug, but Dani shrugged him off, and she handed over the phone. She could see Jax’s jaw clench as he spoke with his friend. His eyes canned over Dani zeroing in on a red mark on her arm from where agent Johnson had grabbed her, a mark that Dani was just now noticing as well. He barked out a short “Yeah,” before ending the call. 

He handed her phone back to her and took her arm in his hands to closer inspect the mark. “Are you ok?” He asked her. 

“I’m fine, Jax,” Dani replied as she withdrew her arm. She turned to continue loading the groceries on the conveyor to be rung up, but Chibs had taken over while Jax had been on the phone and everything was unloaded and waiting to be rung up. The cashier finished scanning her items and Dani paid before quickly being escorted to her truck. They quickly loaded her groceries into the truck bed.

“Dani, tell me what happened.” Jax said.

Dani recounted the conversation and she could see both Jax and Chibs getting angry. “I really wanted to hit him,” she confessed, “especially when he grabbed me. I swear, I almost did, but I could just see that jerk trying to arrest me for assaulting a federal agent or some crazy shit, even if it was in self-defense.”

“Sounds like ye handled yerself just fine, lass.” Chibs said. 

“No, I didn’t. Can we just get out of here?” She asked.

They agreed and were on the way to the garage, Jax on his bike in front of her and Chibs behind her. They pulled into the lot at TM and she had no sooner put the truck in park that the door was jerked open and Opie was there, pulling her into his arms. “I’m ok,” she told him, as she brought her hands up to his shoulders and applied pressure, slowly pushing him away. 

Opie released as his eyes travelled down her arm, locking in on the clearly visible handprint that was starting to bruise. “You’re not.”

“It’s nothing, it barely hurts. I’m not going to break down, I’m not going to cry. I’m shaken up, but I’m more angry than anything. I just want to go home,” she told him. 

“Ok,” Opie replied. “Give me just a few minutes.” Dani stood leaning against the truck, waiting while Jax and Opie spoke. She felt her frustration growing at the situation. He came back a moment later and opened the door. Dani climbed in the truck and slid over to make room for Opie to get in behind the wheel. He tried to reach for her hand, but she didn’t reciprocate. Opie glanced at her out of the corner of her eye, but returned his hand to the wheel. When they got home, Opie helped Dani bring the bags in from the truck, and Dani started putting the groceries away. Opie tried to help but Dani shot him down, so he stepped back and leaned against the doorway watching her. 

Dani pulled the groceries out of the bags, setting them on the counter. “I don’t know why I bought half of this,” she commented as she pulled on the cabinet handle. 

“Dani, wha—” Opie started but Dani cut him off.

“No. I don’t want to talk. I want to be angry.” She placed the can she was holding in the cabinet forcefully and slammed the cabinet door shut.

She gripped the edge of the countertop as she stared down at the surface, she sighed and shook her head. “He put his hands on me. I am so sick of people—men, putting their hands on me. Is there a fucking sign above my head? Almost my whole life, men have been putting their hands on me whenever and however they wanted. I finally get to a point where I’m starting to get ok with random touches from people I know and then that asshole puts his hands on me. He put his hands on me.”

“Baby—” Opie tried again, but Dani kept continued talking.

“When Jax got to the store, and he hugged me and looked at my arm, I couldn’t stand it. When you hugged me, it was the same when you hugged me. I know you were both trying to comfort me, to take care of me but all I could feel was his hands, other people’s hands.” Dani finally turned to look at him. He was looking at her with concern, but she could also see the hurt in his eyes at her words. 

“I’m sorry.” Opie told her.

“Don’t be. You didn’t know. It’s not your fault. I’m the one who is sorry. I don’t know how to deal with this when all I want to do right now is peel my skin off. When I’m done with that, I want to scream, I want to break things, I want to hit someone. I want… I want to have you hold me but I’m scared with the way I feel right now I’ll flinch away from you, even if I want you to touch me, and I don’t want to flinch away from you.” Dani looked at him helplessly. “I don’t know what to do.”

“Can I make a suggestion?” Opie asked. Dani nodded. “Take a deep breath and scream.”

“What?”

“You want to scream, then scream.” Opie looked at her expectantly.

Dani looked back at him, but she could tell he was serious. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes and screamed as loud as she could. She channeled as much of her anger and frustration into the scream to try and rid herself of the negative emotions. She opened her eyes and saw Opie, still watching her, but with a small smile on his face this time.

“Did it help?” He asked.

Dani thought for a moment. “Yeah, I think it did,” she told him.

“You still want to break something?” Opie asked her.

“I don’t want to break any of our stuff.” 

“What about hitting someone?”

“There’s no one I want to hit here.”

“OK, my next suggestion is to go take a hot shower or a bath or something. Don’t try and peel your skin off or scrub it off. When you’re done, if you want, I have an idea. You said you want me to hold you but you don’t want to flinch when I touch you, so if you want me around, you take control. I’ll sit and wait for you wherever you’ll feel the most comfortable. You want me to hold you, you put my arms around you, where you want them. You want to us to just sit there; we’ll just sit there. You want me to leave you alone for the rest of the day, then I will.”

Dani nodded. She thought about it for a minute. “Wait for me in the living room?” she asked.

Opie nodded. “Take your time.”

Dani retreated into her room. Going into her bathroom, she shed her clothes, turned on the water as hot as she could stand and stepped into the shower. She picked up het loofah, squeezed a large amount of soap on it and began scrubbing at her skin, building up a lather. Dani forced herself to stop after a few minutes to keep herself from scrubbing her skin raw, but she stood under the hot stream of water until her skin was bright red.

She turned off the water, stepped out of the shower and dried off. She dressed in her coziest pair of pajamas. She walked into the living room and saw Opie sitting on the chaise part of the sofa, legs stretched out in front of him. Dani sat next to Opie. She carefully leaned her head on his shoulder. “Why do people keep grabbing me, hurting me? What’s wrong with me?” 

“I don’t know, babe. But there is nothing wrong with you. He won’t touch you again.” Opie told her.

Dani didn’t say anything, but she crawled into Opie’s lap and grabbed his arms, wrapping them around her, instructing him to hold her tighter. She closed her eyed and rested her head on his chest. 

“Opie?” She said after a while.

“Yeah?” He replied.

“I don’t know how you put up with me.” She said after a while.

“I told you. I’m yours. You’re mine.” He told her.

She snuggled further into Opie’s arms and closed her eyes as they sat there. 

“Opie? This doesn’t feel right. You can stop being a giant posable action figure and just hold me.”

Opie’s arms shifted slightly, and his hand started moving in comforting, small circular motions across her back. “Better?” he asked.

“Better.” Dani said.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

_Dani was laying on her back in a field of wildflowers. The sun shining down on her, warming her. White, fluffy clouds were rolling across the bright blue of the sky and she was picking shapes out of them._

_Suddenly the scene shifted, and she was 6 years old and was in the pitch black of the closet. She was being punished for not wanting to see her ‘uncle.’ She was crying, and she was cold and hungry, and she ached from the beating she had received before being tossed in the closet._

_The scene shifted again, and she was back in the field, with the sun and she could feel the warm breeze against her shin and smell the flowers and wild grass in the air._

_Her dream shifted again, and she was laying on a mattress, wearing only a tank top and her underwear. She was seventeen and she was in the room that she would be trapped in until she escaped. She jumped off the mattress and started running for the door, but she was stopped by a tug on her ankle. She looked down to see a shackle around her ankle and a chain. The door opened and a man stood there, wearing black slacks and a button up shirt. He had dark hair and dark eyes, and as he spoke even his voice seemed dark. “You shouldn’t have run from my men. It’s going to make things more difficult for you here,” he said and started towards her._

_Her dream was shifting back to the field, the warmth of the sun washing over her when she heard her name being carried over the breeze from a distance. “Dani…Dani…”_

* * *

“Dani…” she heard Opie saw as she opened her eyed and pulled herself from sleep.

“Opie?” Dani asked as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. “What’s going on?”

“You were dreaming. Seemed bad.” He told her.

“It was and it wasn’t. I was dreaming about a peaceful place, and the dream would start to shift and turn bad, but before it would get too bad, I would be back in that peaceful place. It just kept going back and forth like that,” said Dani.

“That sounds unsettling,” Opie commented.

“Yes and no. My bad dreams are always unsettling. But the good place I dream about—I only dream about it when I am with you. Even before you woke me up, I knew I was ok because I was with you.” Dani brought her hand to the side of his face.

“Tell me about the good place.”

“It’s silly.”

“Tell me.”

“It’s just a field… a field of grass and flowers. I’m lying in the field and looking at the sky and it’s so blue, and I can feel the sun warmth of the sun. That’s it. I told you it was silly.”

“No, it’s not. It sounds peaceful.” Opie told her, running a hand up and down her arm. “You doing ok after yesterday?”

Dani shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s all so frustrating, and I feel like I don’t know what to do with myself.”

“Want to call Chibs? See if he can work with you today?” Opie asked.

Dani shrugged again. “Maybe.”

“Want to go for a ride on the bike?” Opie suggested.

“That would be good. Wait, don’t you have to work today?” Dani asked him.

“Not today. Today I’m all yours,” he told her.

“It’s been a few days; I should go running with Jax and I should work out with Chibs. But maybe we can do that later, because right now, I just want to be right here with you.”

“Whatever you want.” Opie said moving his hand from her arm to around her back and pulling her closer.

“Anything?” Dani asked brushing her nose against his in an eskimo kiss.

“Anything,” confirmed Opie before capturing her 

* * *

Dani grumbled as she climbed into the ring. She had spent the morning in bed with Opie, cuddling and kissing. When they had finally gotten ready for the day, they took Opie’s bike to the garage, where he dropped her off. Jax was working and the garage was too busy for him to join her on a run. Chibs, however was in the club house and quickly agreed to join her for a workout.

“Do we have to do this again?” Dani asked. “You know I hate this part.”

“Aye, but it’s the most important part.” Chibs told her. “Ye wanted to learn to defend yerself, and ye can’t do that by just hitting a punching bag.”

“So, what are we doing today? Did you convince someone else to dress up in that crazy suit?” Dani asked.

“Just me and you lass,” said Chibs. “Now walk me through what happened yesterday when Johnson grabbed you.”

“I told you. He crashed his cart into mine, tried to manipulate me, I called him out on it, he backed me into the shelves and threatened me, I tried to leave and he grabbed my arm, I threatened to make a scene, he left.”

“Why didn’t you hit him? Stop him from grabbing you?” Chibs asked.

“I told you, he’s a federal agent. I didn’t want to risk the situation escalating. I didn’t know he was going to grab me like that. I tried to pull my arm away, but he had a pretty damn good grip.” Dani thrust her arm out to show him the hand shaped bruise on her forearm.

“How did you try to get out of his grasp?” Chibs grasped her arm gently but in the same hold as Agent Johnson and had her demonstrate how she tried to pull away. “Next time someone grabs you like that try this…” as he spoke, he demonstrated how to turn her arm in its grasp so the narrowest part was facing where his fingertips were overlapped, and which direction to pull from depending on how he was holding her arm. They practiced this for a while with several different holds. “Good. Now we need to talk about how ye let him back you into a wall to begin with.”

“I was just trying to keep some space between us. He just kept pushing closer.” Dani told him.

“Ye have to be more aware of your surroundings, ye can’t let yerself get trapped like that. Stand your ground, put yer arm out as a barrier, push back if ye have to. Imagine this ring is a room. That’s an exit,” he said pointing to one corner, “and that’s another,” he pointed to the opposite corner. “You stay in the middle or get to one of the exits. Do not let me get you against the ropes or in one of the other corners, got it?” Dani nodded and they began. Chibs quickly had her against the ropes, just by walking quickly in her direction. Twice more she wound up against the ropes.

“Stand yer ground, fight back, or get to an exit.” Chibs said. Dani did slightly better that time around, Chibs giving her pointers to help with the next round and the next, until she could hold her own for several minutes and even made it to one of the ‘exits’ a couple of times.

They stopped and wrapped Dani’s hands and Dani pulled on her gloves as Chibs put on the hand targets. Dani began focusing her frustration onto her punches as Chibs directed her to still try and stay in the center of the ring. She punched and jabbed and ducked, and moved around the ring, doing her best to steer clear of the ropes.

She heard a whistle and turned to see Opie walking their way. She jumped out of the ring and threw her arms around Opie. “Where did you go?” she asked.

“You’ll see. I’ll show you now if you’re done being Xena for today.” Opie replied.

Dani laughed and turned to Chibs. “Are we done?”

“Aye lass, we are done.” Chibs said. Dani removed her gloves and handed them to Chibs. “One last lesson for today. If something like yesterday ever happens again, ye do not threaten to make a scene, ye make a scene. Ye may not be given a chance to follow through with yer threat. Got it?”

“I got it.” She told him, giving him a hug. “Thank you,” she said before turning to Opie.

“Ok, Sasquatch, show me what you were off doing?”

Opie led her out to the lot, and she was surprised to see his truck there instead of the bike. She was about to ask about the bike when she saw it sitting in the bed of the truck. “Ok, what are we doing?” she asked. “Are we going somewhere?”

“Not far” Opie said as he opened the truck door for her. “Just needed more than we could carry on the bike.”

“So why did you bring the bike?” Dani asked.

“Because I promised you a ride. Will you just get in the truck?” Opie gestured to the open door and Dani smiled and climbed in.

Opie walked around to the other side and got in, started the truck and took off. They drove for a little while before turning down a dirt road. He drove a little further, pulled into a clearing, and got out. He came around the truck, opened her door, took her hand and led her to the back of the truck.

Dani watched as Opie grabbed a box and carried it over to a large rock cluster a few feet away. He came back to the truck and handed her a pair of gloves and a flannel shirt of his. “Put these on,” he told her.

“What for?” Dani asked, thoroughly confused, as Opie grabbed a second box and set it by the first.

“Safety.” He said simply.

“Safety? Opie what are we doing here?”

“We’re going to break some shit,” he told her. When she just stared at him in bewilderment, he continued. “Yesterday, you angry enough that you wanted to break some shit, but not our shit. It’s been a day, so I’m assuming there’s still enough of that in you that breaking some shit would still feel pretty good, right?” Dani nodded slowly. “So, I got some stuff you can break. The long sleeves and gloves are to protect you from any flying shards. Oh, and these.” He went back to the truck bed, opened the toolbox he kept there and pulled out some safety glasses and handed them to her.

“You’re crazy, you know that? But this is kind of perfect.” She said giving him a smile. She pulled on the shirt and gloves and slipped on the safety glasses, sure she looked ridiculous. She turned to see Opie had emptied about half the box on the large rock. There were plates and glasses, a chipped ceramic teapot and saucer, and several ugly figurines.

Opie came back to where she was standing. “Ok, you can throw things and break them that way, or we have a tire iron, a baseball bat, or a mallet you can use for smashing purposes.” He gestured in the truck bed and Dani saw the items there as he listed them off. She decided on the baseball bat. She picked it up and held it in her hand as she got used to the weight of it.

She walked slowly towards the breakables, and closed her eyes, channeling her anger. She let the frustration she felt at the previous days’ events bubble up, opened her eyes and swung. When she connected with the teapot, what she saw was Agent Johnson grabbing her arm, the ugly figurines became him backing her into the shelving, pressing against her, threatening her. And then it was every man who touched her, hurt her. When everything that had been set out was broken, she took more things out of the box, throwing some against the rocks and watching them shatter, hitting others with the bat. What she didn’t expect was that with each swing, with every smash, she was able to let go of some of that anger. When all the glass and ceramic were shattered, she felt lighter. The energy she had been using on anger and trying to keep all her anger locked away in a neat little box was suddenly free. It felt easier to breathe, easier to feel, just…easier. That little box was broken, the glass and ceramic was broken. She wasn’t broken. She had felt broken for so long, but despite everything she had been through, she wasn’t in pieces like she thought, she was stronger than that.

She dropped the bat and removed her glasses and gloves, turned and walked the few steps to Opie, who had been watching her with an indecipherable expression, grabbed him by his kutte and pulled him down to meet her in a searing kiss.

Opie’s arms wrapped around her, pulling her close as their tongues moved in tandem with each other. When they finally broke for air, Opie looked down at her. “I take it that helped?” he asked.

“You have no idea how cathartic that was. I was holding on to so much more than I realized. I don’t think this is going to magically fix everything, but it did make me see something that you’ve tried to tell me, that everyone has been trying to tell me.”

“And what’s that?” Opie asked.

‘That I am stronger than I thought I was.” Dani told him. “I let the hurt and anger I feel at what I’ve been through made me think that I was broken, that I was defective, but I’m not.”

Opie smiled and pulled her closer. “That’s good, babe. I’m glad.” He brought his hand up to cup her face. “I can tell, you don’t look like you are carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders anymore.”

Dani leaned into his touch. “Thank you for this. I don’t get why you brought your bike for this though.”

“I thought we could stay at my pop’s cabin. I packed us a bag, but I also promised you a ride on the bike. I can take my bike to work in the morning and you’ll have the truck to take home.”

“That sounds really good.” Dani said.

“Let’s go then.” Opie took her arm and led her to the 

* * *

Dani closed her eyes as the wind ripped through her hair. Opie had driven her to the cabin, which was rustic and very peaceful. They had an early dinner and then went for a ride on Opie’s bike. She had her arms wrapped around him and pressed against his back, she felt that electric pull that she felt each time they touched. She lifted her head from where it rested on his back and put her lips near his ear as she splayed her hands across his lower abdomen, tracing the lines of his muscles. “Let’s go home,” she said, just loud enough for him to hear over the engine. She knew he heard her when he gave a single nod, and his hand came to stop the movement of her own, giving it a squeeze before letting go.

Twenty minutes later, they were pulling back into the cabin. Dani pulled the helmet off her head as she climbed off the bike. Opie got off the bike and took the helmet from her before looking at her with a smoldering gaze. Dani looked back at him with desire and before she knew it, his lips were moving against hers. She let out a whimper as their tongues met. Opie’s hands wrapped around her, moved his hands down her back to cup her ass and lifted. Dani gasped in surprise, but instinctively wrapped her legs around him and he carried her into the cabin and through to the bedroom.

Their kisses grew softer as they slowly undressed each other, taking time to caress each new bit of skin as it was exposed. As Opie reached behind her to unclasp her bra as Dani’s hands travelled down Opie’s chest to his stomach. She hesitated briefly at the waistband of his boxers before sliding inside them, circling his hardness, stroking him.

Opie broke away from their kiss to look down at her “Baby…”

“I want this, Opie. I want you.” To emphasize her point, she stroked him again.

“Are you sure?” Opie asked her. Dani nodded and Opie kissed her again before guiding her to the bed. He removed the last of their clothing He kissed his way from her neck to here chest as his hand slid down to her clit. He began rubbing her center at the same time as he took her right nipple into her mouth. Dani gasped as she clutched Opie to her. She reached down and began stroking Opie’s hardness.

Opie let out a quiet moan and he kissed her as he slid first one, and then a second finger inside her, causing Dani to let out a moan of her own. Their lips moved together as they brought each other pleasure. Dani felt her excitement growing until she was on the edge of an orgasm. Just then, Opie withdrew his fingers, eliciting a whimper of protest.

He maneuvered himself between her legs as he broke away from their kiss. He looked into her eyes and saw her desire, but he also saw some nervousness. He positioned himself at her entrance. “Tell me you’re ready,” he said.

“I’m ready,” she told him. Opie thrust slowly into her, pausing when he was fully inside her. Dani gasped at the sensation. Opie filled her so perfectly, and as Opie began moving inside her, Dani let out a gasp. “Opie.”

“God baby, you feel so good,” Opie told her as he kissed her throat. Their motions were sensual and slow, Dani raising her hips to meet each of his movements with one of her own, her hands moving across the muscular plane of his back. Soon, Dani was back on the brink of her orgasm.

“Opie, I’m going to… I’m so close.” She closed her eyes, willing the feeling to overtake her.

“No. Look at me. I want to see you when you come.” He told her. Dani Opened her eyes and gasped as Opie reached between them with one hand and began circling her clit with his thumb. A few moments of that coupled with the feeling of Opie moving inside her and the look in his eyes as he watched her move underneath him and she was coming undone. Wave after wave of pleasure as she got lost in the intensity of Opie’s deep brown eyes.

“You’re so perfect,” Opie told her as her orgasm subsided as he leaned down to capture her lips with her own. He increased the speed of his movements, causing Dani to cry out, her overly sensitive nerves still alight with fire.

“Opie,” she gasped. “More.”

“More what?” Opie asked, pressing kisses to her neck.

“You. More of you.” Dani cried.

Opie increased his movements, thrusting deeper, faster. “Is this what you want?” he asked her.

“Yes,” she panted, “so good.”

“Baby, fuck, you feel so good. I want you to come with me,” he told her as he brushed his hand across her breasts, fingers grazing her nipples. He took her hand and guided it in between them to where they were joined. Together, they worked over her sensitive nub until she was writhing, on the edge of another orgasm. “Come on baby, come with me.”

Opie’s movements became erratic, thrusting deeply as he came, her name coming foo his lips and the feeling of his losing control inside of her brought Dani over the edge, and they came undone together.

They lay there after, catching their breath, wrapped in each other’s arms. Opie kissed her gently. “Are you ok?”

“I’m perfect.” Dani said. “This was perfect.”

“You’re perfect.” He told her, kissing her again.

Dani lay there, looking into Opie’s eyes, seeing the emotion in his eyes, and feeling quite emotional herself, she spoke. “I’m so glad I have you in my life. You make me feel so safe; you feel like home to me. I never thought I would find anything like this, anyone like you. Opie, I…I love you.”

Dani held her breath as she waited for him to say something as her. She grew more and more nervous as the silence seemed to drag of forever. Finally, Opie pulled her closer. “I love you back,” he said in that low, gravelly tone that always made her melt before bringing his lips to meet hers in a kiss.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

“Mmmm.” Dani mumbled as she woke up to the feeling of a kiss being pressed to her shoulder.

“Good morning baby,” Opie murmured as he continued pressing kisses from her shoulder up to her neck.

“Morning,” Dani replied and turned to look at Opie, who kissed her sweetly before pulling back and tracing her jaw with his fingers. The juxtaposition of such a strong, brute looking man gazing at her with such tenderness made her insides melt a little. Dani sighed and leaned into Opie’s touch like a kitten leans into a head scratch.

Opie chuckled at her antics. “It’s still early, but I have to get ready to go. I have to work today. You can go back to sleep if you want, but I couldn’t get out of bed without kissing the beautiful woman in my arms.” Dani flushed at his words and he leaned in to kiss her again.

“Sleep sounds good, but I should get up too. I don’t know if I can find my way back to town without you,” she told him. Opie nodded and got out of bed and started getting dressed. Dani tossed off her covers and went to the bag that Opie had brought in. She slipped on her bra and undershirt but winced slightly as she bent over to pull on her underwear. Opie caught the motion though and was by her side in an instant.

“Are you ok?” He asked as he guided her gently to sit on the edge of the bed.

“I’m fine,” she assured him. “I’m just a little sore.”

“Good sore or bad sore?” he asked, and Dani knew that he was really asking if he had hurt her the previous night

“Good sore. Sore like my sasquatch of a boyfriend who is, um, very well endowed was extremely thorough in providing satisfaction.” Dani felt her face burning with a blush. She noticed Opie’s smirk and the prideful glint in his eye. “Stop it.” She told him but she couldn’t help but smile.

“I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of seeing you blush like that,” he said, running the back of his hand over her cheek. Dani grabbed her underwear to continue dressing but Opie took it from her and slid them on for her. He grabbed her shorts and did the same.

“Opie, I’m not that sore, I can dress myself,” she tried to protest. “I just moved too fast and wasn’t expecting it--.”

“I know you can,” he told her. “Just let me help you.” Dani stopped arguing and stood up as Opie slowly pulled up the lacy panties he had packed for her, running his hands over her thighs as he did so. He helped her into her shorts as well before kissing her neck and taking a step back.

“Thank you for your help, but for the record, it’s more fun when you’re taking my clothes off rather than putting them on.” Dani informed him cheekily.

Opie practically growled as his eyes darkened with desire. “Don’t tempt me, woman.”

Dani turned back to the bag with their belongings but instead of the jacket Opie packed for her she pulled out the flannel shirt she wore to protect her from shards of glass and pulled that on instead, rolling up the large sleeves to her elbows. They made sure they had everything they came with and Opie walked her to the truck, tossing the overnight bag in the truck before opening the door for her and handing her the keys. He stood there for a moment, just taking her in.

“What?” Dani asked.

“Nothing. Just like what I see. My girl, in my truck, wearing my shirt,” he told her with a grin.

“I think the picture is missing something,” she told him.

“What’s that?” he asked.

“You,” was her simple reply. Opie leaned in and kissed her before confirming that she would follow him back to town and promising to see her later than night.

Dani started the truck and sat there waiting until she heard the roar of Opie’s bike coming to life. She shifted into drive and started her way home.

* * *

Dani found herself frustrated to the point of tears by the time Opie came home that evening. Dani was sitting at the dining table with the prep books for the GED that she had bought, and she had her head buried in her hands.

Opie’s demeanor as he came in the house immediately switched to concern when he saw her. “Babe, what’s wrong?” he asked. He knelt beside her and gently pulled her hands away from her face.

Dani looked at him, red-faced, eyes brimming with tears. “It’s too much,” she told him gesturing to the books in front of her. “I’m never going to understand any of this. This math is insane, the history section is huge! I thought I’d be ok with the English section because I read so much, but I don’t know half of what they’re talking about. What the hell is a participle phrase?! I thought I knew enough, but I don’t know anything.” She said miserably.

“That’s not true,” Opie comforted her, speaking in a low tone as he rubbed circles on her back. “You’re so smart, I know you can learn what you need to. It might take you longer than you wanted if you try and do it on your own. I’ll help you as much as I can. Or you could take the GED course at the community college. I think they even have online classes if you don’t want to go to an actual classroom.”

“I don’t see how a class will help. I’ve got the books here and it’s just so overwhelming. It’s going to take me forever to get this.”

“You never went to school. They’ll teach you bit by bit, build on what you learn so it makes sense. They’ll teach you how to study for this, so it won’t be overwhelming.” He encouraged. “And you aren’t someone who gives up. You can do this.”

Dani nodded. “I know. I just… I wanted to think that I knew enough already that I wasn’t really so far behind. Bur, you’re right. I can do this. I just need help. Can you help me figure out how to take this online class?”

Opie agreed and pulled a chair up to sit next to her as she slid her laptop toward him. Opie helped her find the course but as he was looking over the requirements, he told her she might need to get a new laptop. The one she had was outdated and wasn’t compatible with the program the school used. Dani said that was fine, she would use some of her money to pick up a new computer. Dani finished filling out the registration form, and when it was finished it took her to a payment screen for the tuition. Dani sighed and wondered if there was an option to mail in payment. Opie shook his head and pulled out his wallet.

“We need to get you set up with a bank account,” he told her as he took his credit card out of his wallet. Dani started to protest but he stopped her, assuring her that she could give him the money for it and he would apply it to his balance. Sixteen digits later and she was registered to join the next class that started in two weeks.

* * *

Dani was excited as she climbed out of her truck. She was getting ready to start her first shift volunteering at the animal shelter. The same woman who helped her sign up, Susan, was again at the front desk.

“We’re so happy to have you here.” She told her. She handed Dani a volunteer badge to wear when she was in the facility and gave her a tour showing her where they kept all the animals, the pet food and litter. She was shown the area where they gave animals baths and told her that’s what she would be doing today. Susan handed her a rubber apron to keep her dry and walked with her to get the first dog that needed a bath. Penelope was a medium sized terrier mix; she was white with large tan spots. One of those spots went around her right eye and up into her ear where the rest of her face was white. She was the most adorable creature Dani had ever seen. Susan had Dani open her pen and attach her leash. When they got to the bath station Dani followed Susan’s instructions on what to do, Penelope stood still, except for her tail that was wagging furiously the entire time, the dog was loving her bath time. When Dani finished, Susan said it looked like she had the hang of things and left her to take care of the rest of the dogs that were due for a bath. Not all of the dogs were as receptive to bath time as Penelope ad been and struggled, often splashing Dani. By the time she was finished, her shirt was damp in spite of the efforts of the apron. Dani signed out and waved goodbye to Susan.

She made her way to the electronics store and picked out a new computer and some recommended software that the salesman advised her to get. Opie had told her to bring her new computer and her old one to TM and Juice would help get it set up and get any files transferred over.

When Dani arrived at the garage, she grabbed her things and, glancing around, spotted Jax and Opie working on a bike together. She walked over and kissed the cheek of them both.

“How was the animal shelter?” Jax asked.

“It was good.” She turned to Opie. “You like dogs. right?”

Jax started laughing. “I told you she couldn’t go one day without wanting to bring one home, man.”

“Baby—” Opie started.

“She’s so cute, and so well behaved. She’s perfect.” Dani interrupted.

“We’ll talk about it.” Opie said.

“Maybe we can go see her soon, so that you can see what I’m talking about.” She looked at him with pleading eyes.

“We’ll talk about it later.” He repeated but gave her a quick kiss.

Dani gave him a smile and asked “Do you know where Juice is so he can help me with my new computer?”

They directed her to the club house, and she left them to get back to work. Entering the club house, she looked around, but only saw Piney at the bar. She walked up to the bar to stand next to him. “Hey Piney.”

“Baby girl.” Piney threw an arm around her and Dani reciprocated, tossing her arm over his shoulders. “My boy treating you right?” He asked.

Dani grinned. “Yeah, Piney, Opie treats me great. You have a good son,” she told him. She asked if he had seen Juice and he told her he would be back in a minute. She sat down and chatted with him for a few minutes before Juice came out from the back. Dani grabbed her stuff and went to sit at a table with him. Dani handed over her computers and the new software she purchased.

Juice started up her new computer. “Its going to take a while to go though its initial set up,” he informed her as he opened her old computer. “Do you have anything on here we need to transfer to your new laptop?” Dani shook her head. “No music, pictures, documents?” Again, Dani shook her head. “What do you use this for?” he asked.

“To Skype my friend Alice. I used to use the missing persons website to find my way here. But now I mostly use it for Google and Youtube.”

“That’s it?” he asked.

“Yeah. And the new one I’ll use for school too. I mean, I haven’t really needed it for anything other than that.”

Juice nodded and turned his attention to the new laptop, going through the setup, installing the software she had purchased and downloading the program her school used for online learning.

When they were finished, Dani slipped both of her computers into her messenger bag and hefted it over her shoulder. She thanked Juice with a hug and gave piney a peck on the cheek as she walked out. As she stepped out into the sunlight she squinted and glanced around the lot and spotted Jax and Opie, as well as Chibs, Bobby, and Tig standing around looking at something by the garage. She caught Opie’s eye who waived her over. When she got there, she saw they were standing around a bike—not a motorcycle, but a bicycle. It had an old-fashioned look to it and was a pale blue with a subtle shimmer to it. The seat, handlebars and the wheels were a cream color and the metal was all a rose gold color.

“What do you think?” Opie asked.

“It’s cute, but it’s not really your guys style.” Dani joked.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I look gorgeous on this Bike.” Bobby said as he climbed ol the bike and brushed his hair off his shoulder in an exaggerated motion. Dani joined the group in laughter.

“But you like it?” Jax asked.

“Yeah, it’s adorable.” Dani said.

“Good. Because it’s yours.” Jax told her.

“What?” Dani asked in surprise.

“It was on your list. Learn to ride a bike. You can’t do that without a bike.” He explained. “Bobby had it in his garage and brought it in. We all cleaned it up, gave it some new paint, made it girly as all shit.”

Dani was overwhelmed that they all had helped her so much. She gave each of them a hug, and as soon as Bobby was off it, she climbed on the bike herself. “So, I just pedal, right?” She asked.

She looked around at them anxiously as they moved out of her way.

“First things first.” Opie said, and grabbed a helmet similar to his motorcycle helmet, except it was the same shade as the seat and handlebars on her bike and it fit her head a little better. “Kick up the kickstand,” he told her and gestured to the metal bar that was keeping the bike upright. She brought it up with her foot. “You want to keep your balance, like you do on my bike. There are no hand brakes, you pedal forward to go forward, but to break you reverse and push backward on the pedal. Don’t do it too fast, or you’ll jerk to a stop and can get get hurt that way if you aren’t careful.” Jax and Opie held on to the bike and walked her in a circle around the lot and had her test the brakes as they went until she was comfortable.

“You ready?” Jax asked.

Dani grinned. “I’m ready.”

“Start pedaling. We’ll help make sure you stay balanced til you’ve got the hang of it.” Jax told her. Dani nodded and they each grabbed the underside of her seat as she started pedaling and ran along with her for a moment before they let go.

Dani felt a little unsteady but kept pedaling to the edge of the lot before making a wide circle and pedaling back towards them, she made a few laps, growing more confident and picking up speed as she went. Everyone watching could hear her almost childlike laughter as she successfully maneuvered the bike. She slowed to a stop as she approached the group and quickly put her feet down to balance herself once she was at a stop.

“That was fun!” She said. “I know its kinda goofy for me to be so excited about this. I can’t help it though.” She said, smiling brightly.

“It’s not stupid.” Bobby told her. “Everyone is excited when they learn how to ride a bike.”

“I think I’m ready to try it on the street.” Dani said.

Jax turned to Opie “Do you think its safe to let her roam wild on the streets?” He joked.

“I don’t know. I’m not sure she’ll make it back in one piece.” Opie replied to Jax.

“You guys are such assholes.” She said, though she was still smiling before switching to a childlike voice. “I pwomise to check for traffic and to stay on the street. Pwease?”

They laughed at her antics. “Go get ‘em killer.” Jax told her and she head for the street, pausing to check for cars before turning onto the street. When she got to the end of the street she looked around and made a wide circle. She saw that the guys had come out on the sidewalk to watch and she pedaled faster, enjoying the breeze she was creating as her hair flew behind her. It paled in comparison to being on a motorcycle, but she could see that this was easily the childhood equivalent and she was taking joy in it as if she was a child herself. The guys were all clapping and whistling as she whizzed past them. She really was beginning to understand what Jax and Opie meant when they referred to the club as family. She knew they all had better things to do than watch a grown woman ride a bike for the first time, yet they were there, happily cheering her on.

She reached the other end of the street and made another loop to head back to the garage. Ash she pedaled, she saw the faces of her friends change from amusement to something else, they were yelling and waving but she couldn’t understand what they were saying. She looked around her and as she looked behind her, she saw what was causing their concern. A brown van that had been parked up the street was zooming up behind her and the driver’s eyes were zeroed in on her. Dani moved as close as she could to the side of the road, but the van had shifted as well. She turned forward and pedaled as fast as she could.

“Jump!” She hears someone yell, She didn’t have time to figure out who it was, she just leapt from her bike as far as she could onto the sidewalk. She put her hands out to break her fall, scraping her palms bloody and sending a searing pain shooting through her right arm from her wrist to her elbow as she tumbled into the fence. She was dazed, and things seemed to be in slow motion. She heard the crunching of metal, she saw Jax running for her as he called her name. She heard several loud popping sounds and saw Opie, Chibs, Bobby, and Tig shooting at the van as it sped by. The others all ran back behind the fence line and she couldn’t see them, but a moment later she heard several bikes roar to life. All except Opie. Opie had moved to the middle of the road and was still shooting at the van as it was getting further away. Whh=en he finally stopped he turned to head for his bike as well, as the others roared past him but hesitated as he looked over to Jax and Dani.

“Go! I’ve got her!” Jax yelled and Opie took off and was speeding out of the lot faster than she thought possible as he hurried to catch the chase.

Jax turned back to her as he was looking her over. “Are you ok?” He asked her as he spotted her bloodied hands. He grabbed them to try and get a look at them but has he tried to turn her right hand and get a better look at it Dani cried out and pulled away from him, clutching her arm to her chest with her left hand.

“I think its broken.” She informed him as he helped her stand. She had scrapped her knees as well, he noticed. As he started walking her back inside TM, they were surrounded by Clay, Gemma, Juice, and Kip.

“What the hell happened?” Clay demanded.

“Some guy just ran her off the road. The guys went after him.” Jax said.

Dani looked back at the street and saw the mangled mess that was her beautiful bike just moments before. “He broke my bike.” She told Jax.

“Fuck the bike, he broke your arm,” He said.

“Christ.” Clay seethed. “Get her to the damn hospital.” They started to move again when Clay stopped on front of her. “You fell off your bike. When they ask, that’s all that happened. You got it?” Clay was harsh with his instructions.

Dani nodded. “I got it.”

“I’ll drive her.” Gemma volunteered.

Dani almost protested, but she didn’t. She and Gemma hadn’t spoken in a while, and Dani was sure the ride would be awkward, in addition to painful, but she had to admit it made sense. She looked at Jax and nodded and he walked her to Gemma’s car and helped her in as carefully as possible to keep her from jarring her arm. He ran to his bike as Gemma got in the car, and they were speeding off, accompanied by the remaining members of the Sons of Anarchy.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

The ride to the hospital was quick, but silent apart from when Dani let out a quiet cry when Gemma hit a rather large pothole, causing the car to lurch.

“Sorry,” Gemma had said, cringing in sympathy.

When they got to the hospital, Jax was at her door before Dani even had a chance to remove her seatbelt. He helped her out of the car and wrapped an arm around her guiding her into the emergency room. Dani looked up at her brother. “Don’t leave me alone in here,” she requested.

Jax looked at her in concern. “No one is going to hurt you here,” he assured her.

“I know that, but this place is full of strangers who are going to have to touch me in order to help me. And… well… there was a doctor… before. He was... well, I just don’t like doctors, ok?” Dani admitted. She could see the flash of anger in Jax’s eyes when she alluded to being hurt in the past but then it was gone.

“I won’t leave you alone,” he said. He guided her to the registration. The nurse checking patients in took her information, and wanted to bring her back alone at first, but Dani refused. Jax turned on his charm for the nurse who relented after Jax gave her his ‘I’m so charming’ smile and leaned in to say something she couldn’t hear.

Two hours later and some very awkward interactions between Dani and the medical staff and her scrapes had been cleaned and bandaged, her arm x-rayed, and while not broke, was fractured in her wrist and in two places in her elbow. Dani was waiting on someone to come and cast her arm.

Jax was sitting with her making jokes to keep her at ease when his phone rang. “Yeah,” he said as he answered it. “Hang on,” He said into the phone before looking at Dani. “I gotta take this, find out what’s going on. I’ll be just in the hallway in case the doc comes back, ok?” he told her.

Dani bit her lip nervously but nodded. Jax ruffled her hair as he left, giving her a smirk. Dani sighed dramatically and rolled her eyes at him. When she was alone, she closed her eyes and tried to ease some of the tension from her body.

It was only a moment later when she heard someone come in. “That was quick,” she said opening her eyes and expecting to see Jax, but someone else had come in instead. Oh, Clay. Hi. I didn’t know you were still here.”

“Yeah, your mother’s still here too. How are you doing?” He asked.

“I’m ok. Just waiting on the cast.” She told him.

“You sure seem to be a magnet for trouble,” he said, not unkindly.

“Maybe I should try a lucky rabbit’s foot.” Dani attempted at joking.

“You’re family, baby girl, and we take care of family when they’re in trouble,” he started, and Dani gave him a small smile of appreciation. That smile disappeared rather quickly though as he continued. “But there’s only so much I’m going to tolerate your mess winding up at my club’s front door. This club has enough to deal with without adding the unwanted attention you’ve been bringing.” His words had grown harsher and had a distinctive warning to it.

“I didn’t ask for any of this—” Dani started.

“But you brought it here anyway, and there’s only so much more I’m going to take before I choose a different action.” The implied threat washed over Dani as she sat there in bewilderment. Before she had time to dwell on the threat or the implication that she was somehow to blame for the getting run down by a car, for the ATF being here, for any of the shitstorm that had been her life, Jax was rushing back into the room.

“We got the bastard.” He said before he took in the atmosphere of the room. “Everything ok here?” He asked glancing between Dani and Clay.

“Everything’s fine.” Dani said awkwardly before getting back to what Jax was saying. “They caught the guy?” she asked.

“Yeah.” He looked to Clay. “No gang tats, guys not talking.” He looked back to Dani. “We want you to see if you recognize him. He might work for someone you know,” he told her. “Are you going to be ok to do that?”

Dani nodded. “Yeah. I can do that. I want to do that. I’m over this shit.”

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Two hour later, Dani was back in Gemma’s car, Following Jax and Clay to… well, she wasn’t sure where they were going. She didn’t think they mentioned where they were going, but her head was a little fuzzy from the painkillers that she had reluctantly accepted from the nurse who had offered them to her to help with the throbbing in her arm as they positioned her arm so it would heal correctly and applied her cast.

Dani glanced over to the driver’s seat at Gemma. “You’ve been quiet today. That’s not like you,” she commented.

Gemma chuckled. “Figured you’d be more likely to let me help you if I wasn’t being a bitch. I wanted to be here to help, to make sure you were ok. After everything, I know you might not believe me, but I do care about you, and I don’t want to see anything bad happen to you.”

“Thank you for being here,” Dani told her. “We need to stop avoiding each other. We have to start talking or things will never get better, and I want things to get better between us.”

“Me too, baby.” Gemma said.

Dani smiled. It felt like at last there was a step in the right direction with Gemma. She didn’t have time to dwell on it though, because the car was slowing down outside what appeared to be an old barn.

Dani undid her seatbelt and reached for the door handle with her left arm when the door was suddenly open, and she was out of the car before she could blink and in Opie’s arms. He held her tighter than she had ever been held in her life and she clung to him just as tightly, partly for her comfort, and partly to give him some comfort as well. “I’m ok, Opie,” she assured him.

His mouth crushed her own, preventing her from speaking further with a searing kiss. “Like hell you are,” he said when he pulled away and gently took hold of her right arm, encased in a black cast from her hand all the way to her upper arm, locking her arm with her elbow bent for the next several weeks at least. “Are you sure you want to see him?” Opie asked her.

“I’m sure. I want answers.” Dani replied. Opie took her good hand and started leading her to the barn, Jax following behind. As they were walking past Clay, who was also heading to the barn, Dani leaned over slightly and said in a quiet, icy tone, “You think this is my mess; you can stay back while I deal with it.”

“What was that?” Opie asked her.

“It’s not important,” she said. “When we get in there, stay close, stay pissed, but let me talk to him.”

Dani could tell that Opie wasn’t a fan of her request, but he nodded. She glanced back at Jax and he nodded as well.

Kip was standing at the barn door and pulled it open for them as they approached. She stepped into the shade of the barn and as her eyes adjusted to the dim light, she took in the Sons, and in the center of the barn a man, tied to a chair was a man. He had dark hair and was unshaven, and he had clearly taken a beating, though his face was mostly untouched, Dani guessed it was for her benefit for an attempted ID of this man. He was watching her as she approached him, Opie on one side of her, Jax on the other, and Dani could see a mixture of anger and fear. She studied his face for several moments before looking to Jax and almost imperceptivity shaking her head. She did not recognize him.

She turned back to this man. “Well, I think it’s safe to say we’ve both had a pretty shitty day,” she told him. “I was almost ran over, had my brand new bike destroyed, fractured my arm in three places and got a little banged up from my fall. You had your evil plan to run me down foiled. Got caught by my friends here, I’m guessing you got the shit beat out of you, and now you are tied to a chair in the middle of nowhere.

“You really picked thee wrong girl to mess with.” Dani gestured to Jax and then Opie as she continued. “See, my brother and my boyfriend here both seem pretty keen on killing you, since you tried to kill me and all. But I thought we should have a little talk first. See if we can’t clear up this little misunderstanding.” She leaned down and looked the man in the eyes. “Why did you try and kill me?”

The man stayed silent. Dani sighed. “I would really recommend talking to me.” She stood up and slowly started walking in a circle around him. Her tone was low, but confident, and held just the right amount of iciness and danger. “Normally I’m a pretty rational person, and I don’t usually condone violence, but again, you tried to kill me. I’m pretty angry about that, and the hospital gave me some pretty strong drugs, so right now, I’m thinking vengeance sounds pretty good right now. I spent twenty years living a nightmare, and while you might not have had anything to do with that, I’m thinking you are connected somehow. If you don’t talk to me, I’m going to have to take all twenty years of anger out on you. It will be slow, and it will be painful.”

Dani finished circling the man and as she came around, she moved to his right side. “Maybe we should start with evening the score today. I’ll be nice and let you choose… which one of my friends would you like to break your ar—arm..” Dani trailed off and let out a gasp as she took a step back. While she had been speaking, she had looked at the mans arm she suggested breaking. On his arm was possibly the dumbest tattoo she had ever seen. It was an cartoonish looking bear that was supposed to look menacing, but instead looked constipated holding a shotgun in one paw and a beer in the other. It wasn’t the stupidity of the tattoo that caused her reaction, but the instant recognition. She had forgotten she gad ever seen that image before until that moment. Her mind instantly transported her back to when she first saw the image. She was in a park and suddenly there were arms around her, jerking her into a too tight grip, hurting her, moving away from her family. Before everything went black, she clawed at an arm bearing a tattoo of an ugly cartoon bear holding a gun.

“Dani, are you ok?” Jax’s voice brought her back to the present.

Her eyes shot to her brothers. “It’s him,” she gasped.

“Who, Dani? Who is he?” Jax asked.

“He’s the man from the park. He’s the man who kidnapped me.”

Silence hung in the air as the weight of Dani’s realization sunk in. Suddenly, Jax lunged at the man in the chair, knocking him backwards. He punched him in the face a few times before pressing his forearm into the man’s neck, cutting off his oxygen supply. Dani rushed forward, wrapping her good arm around Jax from behind trying to pull him off the man.

“Jax, stop. You have to stop.” She pleaded as he refused to budge.

“I’m going to kill him. He deserves to die,” Jax seethed.

“Not yet. He has answers that I need.” Dani said urgently. “Please, Jax. I have to know.”

Jax shoved himself away from the man, taking Dani back a few steps with him as she hugged him from behind. Jax turned around and pulled her into areal hug, crushing her to him for a moment before stepping back and assessing her. “You weren’t hurt when I went after him were you?” he asked.

“No, I’m ok,” she assured him before she kneeled next to the man in the chair, who was gasping for breath, and looked down at him. “that looked like it hurt, huh?” she asked him. “Look, you’re going to die for what you did to me all those years ago, and I gotta be honest, you really deserve it. But there’s two ways this can happen. You can tell me what I want to know, and I ask them to put a bullet in your head and end it quickly. Or you can not tell me what I want to know, and there will be beatings and broken bones and torture before you are gutted and let to bleed out slowly and torturously. So, do you want to talk to me or should I get my brother back over here? Or maybe the big guy wants a turn?” Dani looked over at Opie before looking back at the man. She waited but he said nothing. “No? Ok then,” she turned to get up and felt Opie take a step closer.

“Wait!” the man said. “I’ll talk.” He rushed out in a raspy tone that Dani was sure was a result of Jax’s attack.

Dani sat back down. “Good. What’s your name?”

“Bert,” the man rasped.

“Ok Bert. Why did you try and kill me today?” Dani asked.

“I read that article about you in the paper a couple weeks ago. The article said you weren’t cooperating with the feds, but I had to make sure, so I started following you. I saw you with them at the courthouse, and then I saw them following you for a while, so I knew you must have told them what you knew.”

“When’s the last time you saw them following me?” Dani asked

“Few days, maybe a week. Figured they were getting ready to make a move, so I had to do something. I didn’t want to go to jail.”

Dani started laughing hysterically. “Oh Bert, you really screwed the pock on this one.” She laughed some more. “I didn’t know who you were. I never knew who kidnapped me. Until I saw that stupid fucking tattoo on your arm today and remembered it from when you snatched me up, I had no idea who you were. If you had stayed away, you could have lived a long and, I’m sure pathetic, life.” She sighed. “Ok Bert, now it’s time for the real question. Why did you kidnap me?”

“I wanted payback.” Dani’s eyebrows shot up at that confession.

“Payback for what?” she asked. He shook his head. “Payback for what?” she asked again? “Or would you like him to ask you?” She gestured back towards Opie who took another step forward. “He won’t ask as nice as I will.”

“They ruined my life,” the man blurted out. “I had a good thing going. Had me a girl, figured out a way to take care of her habit and mine. Even had a little extra to sell.”

“You were making and dealing inside Charming?” Jax asked.

Bert nodded. “I sold to a mechanic who worked at your garage. He must have ratted me out, cause a couple of your guys showed up at my place, kicked my ass, ruined my stash, burned my fucking house down. Told me if they caught me dealing or cooking in Charming again, they’d kill me. I had nothing. My girl left me. I wanted to make them pay.” He told her.

“But why me? Why take me?” Dani demanded.

“A guy I knew, he was a dealer and was into a bunch of other shit, he knew a guy that would pay $10,000 for a kid, offered to split it with me if I could help him. We showed up at the park that day, and all I could see were those fucking kuttes. And then I saw they had kids with them. So we waited until one of you were alone. A grill caught fire and a bunch of people went to help and that’s when I saw you. I got to cause them pain and get paid at the same time.

Dani felt like someone was squeezing her lungs. “And you never thought or cared about the fact that you were responsible for putting a kid through absolute hell?” she asked through clenched teeth.

“I was on drugs and fucked up for a long time. When I got clean I didn’t want to think about the bad shit I did to get some cash or a fix.”

Dani shook her head. “I can’t be around apiece of shit like you any longer. You’re going to tell my friends here all about your dealer friend and his creepy friend who buys kids. Then you’re going to hell, asshole.”

She stood up and walked to Opie and Jax joined them. “I have to get out of here. Can you guys find out what else he knows?” They agreed and she gave them both a hug.

As she was walking out, she encountered Clay, who had been watching the interactions from the doorway. She stopped in front of him. “That mess you were talking about before—turns out it landed right where it belongs. Everything that happened to be is your club’s fault.” Clay looked away, and Dani thought she saw sadness in his face. He looked back at her and started to speak but Dani cut him off. “Save it. Just take care your mess.”

With that she exited the barn and found Gemma. “Can you take me home now?” she asked.

Gemma nodded. Sure, baby, let’s go.” And with that, Dani let Gemma lead her to her car and heled her sur the door before going around to the drivers side and heading back into town.


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Dani stood alone in the middle of her living room. Gemma had offered to stay with her, but Dani declined, saying she was tired, and she was. She curled up in the corner of the sofa and pulled a throw blanket over her. She was exhausted, the adrenaline of the day wearing off and she was asleep before she realized it.

She woke several hours later. It was evening and the house was quiet; she was alone. As she moved to stand, every muscle in her body protested. As she walked stiffly into the kitchen, she realized just how much she had been through that day-- physically, mentally, and emotionally. She carefully poured herself a glass of juice. She had wanted to make herself some soup but several minutes of experimentation revealed she was unable to use the can opener with only her left hand. She grabbed a package of crackers instead and sat down at the table with the crackers and her juice, but she just sat there looking at both of them.

She felt weak. Not because of the pain her body was in, which was substantial, but because she was feeling helpless. She had been brave when she confronted the asshat who ran her over, who turned out to be the same asshat who had ripped her life away from her 20 years ago, yes, but when it came to the most important piece of information she needed, it became too much.

She couldn’t stay when it came down to getting the answers on where he had taken her. She had wanted to ask him that. What happened after she had been drugged in the back of their van, where did they take her, who did they give her to? The first person she remembered seeing when she woke up was the man who called her Diana, who locked her in the closet, who—no, she wasn’t thinking about that. Papa Eric, he had made her call him. Did Bert bring her directly to Eric? Or was there someone else. Would Bert be able to give them a lead that would bring her face to face with one of her abusers? When he had admitted that he hadn’t thought about what he did, hadn’t seemed to care that her life was ruined because of him, just that he had gotten revenge and been paid so he could get a fix, she couldn’t stay to get the answers she wanted. She had already reached her breaking point by then.

She felt weak for having to hand off getting the rest of the answers to Jax and Opie, and she was overcome with guilt that a man’s blood was on their hands because of her. She didn’t feel bad that Bert was going to die—likely already was. What bothered her was putting the wight of that task on people she loved, and the worry they would resent her for it. She felt weak that in that moment she didn’t have it in her to kill him. She wanted him dead, she wanted all of the men who were responsible for what happened to her to die, but she didn’t know if she had it in her to kill someone again. She had been near death herself, desperate to escape, and half out of her mind when she had taken a life.

She was also confused about the club. If the club hadn’t burned down Bert’s drug house and given him a beating, she never would have been kidnapped. At the same time, how could she blame them for chasing drugs out of Charming? Not to mention Jax and Opie lived and breathed Sons of Anarchy and everyone she cared about was involved in the club in one way or another, to harbor bad feelings about the club would only put a rift between her and the people she needed most in the world.

That didn’t stop her from feeling so conflicted, and she sat at the table eyes watery with tears of frustration, but she refused to let them fall. She just sat there until she heard keys sliding into the door locks and she looked up as Opie walked in. She barely had time to stand when Opie had crossed the room and she was in his arms, and he was holding her as tightly as she clung to him. She buried her face in his chest and breathed him in. She couldn’t stop the shuddering breath that she exhaled, nor could she hold back the tears that were now leaking from the corner of her eyes.

Opie began murmuring soothing words to her. “It’s ok, baby. You’re ok. I’ve got you. I won’t let anything happen to you. He can’t hurt you anymore.” When she began crying harder, Opie started rubbing comforting circles over her back. “Baby talk to me. Tell me what’s wrong.”

Through her tears, she told him about feeling weak, about not being able to stay and ask the most important question, about wanting Bert to die but not being able to kill him, and her fears that putting that onto him might change things.

“Baby look at me. Me, Jax, the club, none of us are innocent. I’ve done worse things for lesser reasons. We’re here to protect you so you don’t have to do that shit. Somebody hurts you and they answer to me or Jax. You aren’t supposed to have to think about killing somebody. Knowing you had to do that once, that there was no one to protect you then, that’s the fucked-up part, not this. You were alone then, but you’re not alone anymore.” Opie looked into her eyes and she saw she saw the concern in his eyes, and the determination to get her to see things his way, but mostly what she saw was love.

She nodded. “I’m not alone, I have you. I’m yours and you’re mine, right?”

Opie gave her a small smile and brought one hand up to cup her face. “Yeah, that’s right baby.” He brought one hand up to cup her face, before trailing down to her neck and shoulders to her cast. “How you doing with this?”

“It hurts,” she confessed. “My whole body aches. I tried to make some soup earlier, but I couldn’t use the can opener, and I really want to change into comfy clothes, but I can’t take off my bra,” Dani pouted.

“Luckily,” Opie said, kissing her cheek, “I can help with that. What do you want to fix first—the food, the clothes, or the pain?”

“Clothes, please,” Dani said.

Opie took her hand and led her to his room. He grabbed one of his shirts for her to change into and unbuttoned her jeans, sliding them down over her hips and thighs, before guiding her to sit on the edge of the bed. He knelt in front of her, and slid her jeans off her legs, one leg at a time. He then brought his hands up to her hips. “Normally this is a lot more fun,” he joked while giving her a sexy smirk.

“Shut up,” Dani said, blushing but failing not to smile back. “I’d tell you I can get undressed just fine except for my stupid bra hooks, but I don’t think you’d listen.”

“Smart girl,” he said. He slid his hands under the hem of her shirt and lifted it up and over her head. “Christ, baby,” He said as he noticed the bruising on her shoulder and side. “You hit the ground hard, didn’t you?”

Dani grimaced as she saw them for the first time as well. “I guess so.”

Opie looked into her eyes and kept eye contact with her as he reached around and unclasped her bra and maneuvered it over her cast and then helped her put on his shirt. Her eyes teared up a little bit as she realized how vulnerable she could let herself be in front of him. She had sat in front of him, practically naked, and his only concern was on taking care of her, helping her get comfortable. She reached out and pulled off his beanie to run her fingers through his hair.

“Thank you.” Dani said softly. “Thank you for being someone I can trust, thank you for taking care of me.”

Opie just kissed her forehead as he stood. “Did they give you anything for the pain?” he asked her as he pulled back the covers and got her settled in bed.

Dani sighed. “Yeah, the pills are in my bag.” She said. Opie left her alone and went to get her pills. He came back a few minutes later with her pills, her glass of juice and a sandwich.

“Pills say to take with food,” he said, handing her the sandwich, and sitting next to her on the bed, leaning back against the headboard.

Dani murmured a thanks and took a small bite of the sandwich. “Opie? Did he… did he say anything? About where he took me?” she asked nervously.

“Yeah, he talked. How much do you want to know?” Opie asked her

“Where did they take me? I mean, was it—they’re not close, are they?” she asked hesitantly.

“They took you to Washington. To a guy named Derrick.”

“Wait, did he say Derrick or Eric?”

“Derrick. Why?”

“He’s a junkie, and its been twenty years. He could have gotten the name confused. If it was Eric, it could be… it could be my first captor—the man who used to lock me in the closet. His name was Eric. I mean it could be some lackey name Derrick that met them, but if it was Eric, the information in my journal might help.”

“We’ll look into it. For now, eat your sandwich.” Opie said. Dani ate half of her sandwich before she convinced Opie that she wasn’t hungry but had eaten enough to take her pills. She took one, chasing it down with her juice. She and Opie laid down, and it took a few moments to find a position to lay in that was comfortable with her cast and still allowed her to be cuddled with Opie.

“Love you,” she whispered sleepily.

“Love you back,” she heard him say and she felt a kiss to the top of her head as she closed her eyes.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------

“Opie!” Dani called for what felt like the tenth time that day, helplessly holding out her hairbrush and hair tie, when she saw him. “I can’t get it into a ponytail by myself. Can you help me please?” She’d had to ask for help with putting on her bra, buttoning her shorts, making breakfast and opening several things.

Opie just smiled and came to stand behind her and gently brushed her hair up into a high ponytail like she liked and wrapped the hair tie around it, pulling the ends through.

“Why do I get the feeling you are enjoying me needing help more than you should?” Dani asked, smirking at him through the mirror.

“Because not only do I get to do things for you, you have to keep asking for more.” He replied as he bent down to place a kiss on the back of her neck. Dani just shook her head and made sure the ponytail was secure. “You ready to go?” He asked as she turned around.

“Yep. I just need my shoes.” She told him, going into her room and returning with a pair of flats that she could slip on herself. Dani had agreed to go to work with him so that someone would be there in case she needed help with anything, though she assured him she could manage well enough home alone, and two, so she could show him the pages in her copied journal on Eric and the people that worked for him.

Opie handed her the to-go coffee he had poured for her, grabber her bag for her and ushered her out of the house and into the truck. The trip to the garage was mostly quiet, with Dani sipping on her coffee as her brain went into overdrive. She still hadn’t worked through all of her feelings with the club’s actions indirectly leading to her kidnapping, but she was determined not to let it be an issue.

When they pulled into the TM lot, Opie helped Dani out of the truck, wrapped his arm around her and led her to the clubhouse. Jax was there, drinking coffee and Dani gave him a hug while Opie went to put her bag in his room.

“You doing ok?” Jax asked her.

“This thing is a pain in the ass,” Dani said gesturing to her cast, “and my head is kind of in a whirlwind with everything that’s happening, but I’m ok.” Dani went on to tell him about her Derrick/Eric theory and Jax agreed they should investigate the possibility. He had her wait for him at the bar and went to get the photocopied journal. He and Opie came back at the same time, Jax holding a three-ring binder.

He slid it in front of her along with a stack of sticky notes. He asked her to mark the pages of anyone involved with the first place she was held. Dani nodded, hesitating a moment before opening the binder. She had never really liked looking back on the things she had written down, only doing so to make sure everything she remembered had been documented. She tried not to focus on the details of what she had gone through at the hands of these people, and just focused on the notes she had about their identification.

She placed a yellow sticky note so it stuck out like a bookmark on the first of the pages she had used when she wrote about Eric, as well as marking several other pages for his employees and some of more frequent ‘uncles’ that had been to see her.

She finished and slammed the book shut and pushed it away from her.

“We have a charter in Tacoma, one of the guys will be here later today. We’ll talk to him and have him do some digging when he goes back.” Jax told her. “We will find these assholes and make them pay.”

“Did he say… He made it seem like he ran me over because he thought I might be able to identify him. Do we know if he talked to anyone first? His friend who told him they could get money by taking a kid? A contact maybe with _them_.” Dani gestured towards the binder.

“He said he didn’t,” Opie said. “I don’t think he did. He seemed like he was acting on his own to try and save his own ass.”

Dani paused before asking her next question. “He’s dead now right?”

“He’s dead.” Jax confirmed.

“Who…who did it? Was it one of you?” she asked.

“Are you sure you want to know?” Opie asked.

Dani nodded. “I need to know.” She told them.

“Jax made him hurt. I made him dead.” Opie told her.

“So, it hurt then?” She wanted to know.

It was Jax who answered her. “Yeah, we made him hurt.”

Dani sat there, thinking abut how she told Bert she would have them make it quick. She also thought about how she was ripped from her life by this man. She had always seen him as a boogeyman type figure, faceless and large. Her boogeyman instead turned out to be a junkie named Bert who was wasting away. A junkie who hadn’t given her a second thought about destroying a little girl. Who knew what else he might have done in his life to get money to keep up with his drug habit?

“Good.” Dani said. “He got what he deserved. I’m glad.”


	28. Chapter 28

It had been a week—more than a week. It had been the longest week of her life. When she had been introduced to Happy, the club member from their Tacoma charter, two thoughts instantly sprung to mind; first that Happy looked the exact opposite of happy. He looked intimidating as hell, but he was very serious as Jax discussed what we needed help with, and despite only having a general idea of a location, based off intel 20 years old and sketches drawn from memory almost two decades after the fact, he seemed confident that he could turn up something. The second thing that came to mind upon meeting Happy was that there was no longer any doubt I was living in a twisted version of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. Happy had agreed to look into it and let them know if he found anything. There was only one thing that Dani asked. If they found Eric, she wanted to be there. She wanted to look him in the eye and make sure he knew that she was the one who was responsible for making them pay, and she wanted him to know that he didn’t break her. Opie and Jax both objected. “I need this,” she had told them simply. They relented when she agreed that if the situation was too dangerous, if they weren’t sure they could guarantee her safety that she wouldn’t go. Dani waited every day, wondering when she was going to hear back, but so far, she there hadn’t been a single update.

The following days dragged by. Dani went with Opie to work where she read or visited with one of the guys and usually wound up taking a nap in Opie’s room in the clubhouse. Healing broken bones was tiring, apparently. She felt completely restless; she couldn’t go running with Jax or punch things with Chibs, she couldn’t ride on a motorcycle, and even her evening extracurricular activities with Opie had stopped. Dani was sure it was because Opie had it in his head that she was injured and he didn’t want to hurt her, and while she was grateful that he cared, and she didn’t exactly feel sexy with her cast on, but she hated being thought of as ‘fragile.’ She needed to feel capable and productive. Dani had even tried to help in the office at the garage once but filing and using the computer one handed took way too long, and with all the fumbling she was doing with her left hand…she felt useless. She had been talking more with Gemma, mostly short, casual conversations but it was better than how they had been. They were trying.

It was the weekend and she was kneeling in her garden weeding and plucking ripe vegetables with her free arm. She pulled on a particularly stubborn weed as hard as she could and as it gave way, so did her balance. She toppled backwards and landed on her bottom. Dani sighed and shuffled awkwardly to her feet. She headed for the garage where Jax and Opie were working on something. “Hey,” she said as she opened the garage fridge and pulled out a bottle of water. She held it out in their general direction. “Open, please.”

Opie was bent over the engine of her truck turning something with a wrench so Jax reached over and twisted the top off for her. “Thanks,” she told him before folding herself into the chair that Opie had taken to leaving out for her.

“How’s the gardening going?” he asked her.

“Got in a fight with a weed,” was her reply.

Jax chuckled. “Who won?”

“I think it was a tie,” Dani told him. “I pulled the thing up, but it literally knocked me on my ass as I did it.” They both laughed at her as she play pouted. “Now what are you doing to my truck?” she asked.

“It’s been sitting a lot lately, just making sure everything’s still working the way it should.” Jax told her.

“Oh, thanks.” Dani said.

“Wait, you’re not going to argue, or sigh or roll your eyes at us?”

“No Jax, I’m not. I’ve come to accept that I have an overprotective brother and boyfriend that will insist on doing things that they think they need to. I might even appreciate it from time to time,” she admitted.

“Never thought I’d hear you say that.” Jax teased.

“I blame the pain medication,” Dani said cheekily. “Also the fact that there is a legitimate reason why I can’t do certain things for the time being. Once I get this cast off, be prepared for me to be a stubborn ass again.”

“When does it come off?” Opie asked.

“I go back in two weeks for them to do an x ray and see how its healing. They may say it can come off then. I don’t know. Though I’m about ready to find a hacksaw and cut the thing off. I’ve had an itch on my arm for the last two days and it’s driving me crazy.” As she said this Dani began tapping on the outside of the cast trying to relieve the itch.

She sat there and chatted with her brother as he and Opie finished up. It was nice Dani hadn’t spent as much time with him as she had been lately without their runs, and even when she saw him at the clubhouse everyone else was around and it just wasn’t the same. But here, at home, just her and Jax and Opie chiming in now and then, it felt comfortable, relaxed.

As if he was sensing what she was thinking Jax looked at her as they were wrapping up under the hood. “Next week sometime I need to go to our storage units and see if there’s anything I can use for when the kid gets here. Should be some of your old stuff in there too if we can find it. I know we talked about trying to find your stuff a while ago. Want to come with me and check it out?” he asked.

“Sure, sounds good.” Dani grinned at him. “You staying for dinner? I haven’t been cooking much lately with my arm and all, but I’ve become an expert at ordering takeout.”

Jax shook his head. “Can’t. I’ll see you later,” he said and riffled his hair as he said goodbye and walked out the open garage door to his bike.

Dani scowled after him as she tried to smooth her hair back down. She glanced over to see Opie watching her with amusement. Her face softened into a smile as he approached. “Hey,” she whispered as he leaned down and captured her lips in a kiss.

“Hey,” he said back in the low, gravelly tone that she loved so much. He took her hand and pulled her up. “Let’s get cleaned up and figure out dinner.” They went inside and she headed for the kitchen sink. Turning on the faucet she inspected her hand. Dirt was caked under her fingernails and she had green streaks running across her hand from the weeds. She grabbed the soft bristled brush that they kept there for hand washing, the kind that was perfect for removing dirt and engine grease from hands. It had a small handle on the back that Dani could grip with the tips of her fingers poking out of her cast while she washed her dirty hand but before she could begin, she was enveloped in warmth, strong arms coming around from behind her took the brush from her, and sandwiching her one hand between his, Opie began washing their hands together. He did it so naturally, as if he always washed a third hand between his.

Dani leaned back into his muscular chest, enjoying the feel of his touch. “I can wash my own hands, you know,” she murmured.

“Hush,” he said bending down to kiss the side of her neck. “We both know this is easier and you don’t seem to be complaining.”

“I’m not,” she said. She stood there watching Opie’s hands scrub away the dirt and grime from their hands and in that moment felt how much she had truly missed being intimate with Opie. Over the last week he had helped her wash her hair, brush her hair, get dressed, yet despite the closeness that was needed for many of these tasks, he hadn’t touched her in the ways she had been most aching for. As he finished washing up, he reached to turn the water off. Dani grabbed his hand before he could step back from the sink. Dani didn’t turn around, she just stood there facing the sink, gripping Opie’s hand, suddenly feeling nervous.

“What is it, baby?” Opie asked her.

“Why haven’t we… I mean we haven’t—since the accident we haven’t been…”

“Together?” he finished for her. She nodded. Opie gently turned her around and gently nudged her chin encouraging her to look up at him. “Baby, I’m not a saint. It’s been taking just about all my restraint not to take you on every surface of this house. But you’re hurt. You’re still healing. And some of the things you need help with right now make you vulnerable. I don’t want to take advantage of the situation.”

Overwhelmed by his words and the depth of his soulful eyes, Dani let out a shuddering breath. “What did I do to deserve you?” she asked. “It’s like the universe said ‘yeah we dealt you an incredibly shitty hand in life, but here is the perfect man to make up for it. Protective, kind-hearted, sexy as fuck. We’re even now.’ I’m healed Opie. Bruises are gone, scrapes healed up, and yeah I’m stuck with this cast for a couple weeks more and its not exactly the most attractive accessory but I don’t want to wait. You’re not taking advantage. I’m yours, remember? You can’t take advantage of me when we belong together. I-“ Opie cut her off with a kiss. He pulled her so she was flush against him as he deepened the kiss. Hus hands skimmed down her sides and went around to cup her ass before he lifted her into the air. Dani let out a gasp and instinctively wrapped her legs around Opie as her good arm went around his neck and clutched at his shoulder. He carried her out of the kitchen and into his bedroom, kicking the door shut behind him.

\---------------------------------------------------

Later, after several rounds of unbridled passion, Dani was curled into Opie’s side, feeling completely sated. Her limbs felt like jelly, and she was pretty sure she wouldn’t be able to move if her life depended on it in that moment. Dani lay there with her head on Opie’s chest, her broken arm resting on his stomach, one of her legs hitched over his as Opie played with the strands of her hair.

“What do you think about moving your stuff into my room?” Opie asked her.

“Are you serious?” Dani replied, looking up at him.

“Yeah. We’re together every night anyway,” he said. “There’s plenty of room for your things in here. I want you in here.”

Dani didn’t say anything from a moment. “Well, I suppose that it would save time trying to figure out which bed to go to all the time.” Her tone was playful.

“Is that a yes?”

“Yes. I’ll move in here with you.” Dani tilted her head up to meet Opie for a kiss, this one sweeter, more simple than the one they had shared in the kitchen earlier that day, but this kiss was filled with promise, with hope, with love.

When they broke apart, Opie looked down at her with amusement in his eyes. “So I’m sexy as fuck, huh?” he asked.

Dani laughed and flushed. “You know you’re gorgeous, Sasquatch, all tall and scruffy with the muscles and the tattoos.”

“You like my tattoos?”

“Most of them.” What she didn’t say was that there was one tattoo she wasn’t a fan of, and that was the tattoo of his ex-wife. She knew he had a life before her, but she felt awkward when she touched the skin over that particular image, though she would never directly come out and say it.

“Would you ever consider getting one?” he asked.

“I don’t know. I’ve never really thought about it. Maybe… if I could get past the whole letting strangers touch me thing and depending on what it was. Why?”

“I’ve been thinking I’d like to see my crow on you,” he told her.

“Crow?” Dani asked

“Yeah. Crow as in SAMCRO. It lets everyone know that you’re one of us, and that you’re mine.” He went on to describe the tattoo of the crow, with its wings spread, heart on itch chest, clutching the arrows, and the forever banner.

“Forever, huh?” Dani asked.

“I like the idea of keeping you around.”

“Can I think about it? The tattoo part. I like the you and me part, the forever part sounds pretty appealing too.”

Opie kissed the top of her head. “Yeah baby, take your time.”

“If I decide to get it, where do you think I should put it?” she asked.

“I’ve thought about that, too, and while it’s your decision, I think it would be best here.” His hand drifted away from her hair and trailed down to where the base of my neck met my back. He traced a circle with his fingers outlining where it would go. That area of her back was free from scarring and Dani could imagine the crow there. The idea of having something that symbolized the permanence of her relationship with Opie gave her a tingling feeling of satisfaction deep in her soul.

Dani just nodded. “I’ll think about it,” she said.

When hunger finally pulled them from bed, they both scarfed down a couple grilled cheese sandwiches that Opie made and were settling on the sofa to find something to watch when Opie’s phone rang.

“Yeah,” he answered. His eyes shot to mine. “Yeah, we’ll be there. You too, brother.” With that Opie ended the call. “Happy will be here tomorrow. He thinks he might have found our guy, has some intel he wants to go over.”

“What did he find?” Dani asked, her heart racing, her veins turning to ice.

“I don’t know yet. We’ll find out tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?! I can’t wait til tomorrow, I’m freaking out. I don’t think I thought this would ever actually happen, that we could find them.” Dany felt like she was grasping for breath. She felt Opie pull her into his lap.

“Just breathe, baby. Nice and slow,” Dani tried to follow his direction as she reached out and put a hand on his chest. “That’s it, just breathe with me. We don’t know what they found. It could be nothing, it could be the wrong person. But no matter what it is, I’ll be there with you. We’ll figure it out together.”

Dani nodded as her breathing slowed. She was equal parts scared little girl who had been abused and terrified of the men around her and grown woman full of anger and a desire for vengeance. She didn’t particularly like either of those facets of who she was. She did her best to push those things away as she calmed down, focusing instead on the present. She was safe and warm and in Opie’s arms and she told herself nothing else matters. She would think about the rest of it tomorrow.


	29. Chapter 29

**A/N:** **I am so sorry for the delay in posting. Life is hitting pretty hard these days, but I’m working through it, and I’ve struggled with getting this chapter to come out the way I wanted it to.**

***********WARNING: DARK THEMES AND MENTIONS OF ABUSE***********

Chapter 29

“Easy, babe. You’re so jittery, I could power the truck off your vibrations,” Opie said, giving Dani’s hand a squeeze. They were sitting in Opie’s truck on their way to the club house.

Dani had been restless since Opie had gotten the phone call last night. She hadn’t slept well and had declined her morning coffee because of all the nervous energy running through her; adding caffeine to the mix would only make things worse.

Dani looked over at Opie and returned the squeeze. “Sorry, I’m just—arg, I don’t know what I am. I just need to see what Happy found.”

“We’re about to find out. No matter what he had for us, it’s going to be ok.” He said trying to assure her, but Dani just nodded absently and bit her lip. The rest of the drive was short and when they pulled into the lot at TM, Opie took her hand and guided her out of the truck and straight into the clubhouse into the room they called their chapel.

Clay was there with Jax and Happy and Opie pulled her over to the edge of the table that they all stood around. Dani looked at them all anxiously. “What is it? Did you find something?” Jax looked at Happy and nodded for him to begin.

“It didn’t take long to find this guy. Asked a few questions and followed a lead to an office building just outside Tacoma. Been sitting on it for a few days now. Getting a feel for who’s coming and going.” Happy said.

Jax came around the table to stand in front of her. “We want you to look at some pictures, make sure we’ve got the right guy. You ok to do that?”

Dani nodded as Jax opened a brown file folder and took a photo out of a stack and handed it to her. Dani took hold of the photo, and as soon as her eyes focused on the image she froze. Every muscle in her body tensed, the hairs on her arm stood up, fingers clenched tightly around the corner of the photograph. The man in the image was older than she remembered, with more gray streaked through his dark hair and neatly trimmed beard. He was tall with a fairly athletic build, dressed in what looked like casual office attire—dark jeans, a polo shirt and a sports coat. Some people might say he looked distinguished, but all Dani could see was the coldness in his eyes. In her mind she could hear the echoes of his voice calling her. _“Diana!”_

Her vision started swimming with black spots as her lungs had ceased to work. She couldn’t hear the voices taking to her, trying to reach her, she didn’t feel her knees give out as she was coaxed into a chair. It was the rough pair or hands that grabbed her harshly by her shoulders and shook her somewhat violently that snapped her back into reality. She gasped as she gulped down air, breathing harshly as she ran her good hand through her hair. “Jesus Christ.” She said to herself once her breathing as under control. She looked into her brother’s eyes as she registered that he was still gripping her by the shoulders. “I’m ok, Jax,” she said.

Jax eyed her as he slowly released her. “I thought I was going to have to slap you to get you to snap out of it and fucking breathe.”

“I’m ok,” Dani assured him again, and turned to take in Opie. His hands were in fists by his sides, knuckles white, his jaw clenched, eyes tight. Dani could tell he was angry, not at her she knew, but at the new target he’d just been given. She knew her reaction of fear only increased the anger he felt towards Eric. “I’m ok,” she said again, this time to Opie directly and his eyes softened slightly and he gave her a nod.

“I take it that’s him, then?” Clay asked.

“Yeah, that’s him.” Dani confirmed. The guys started talking strategy on how to handle it, and Dani sat there and glanced curiously at the brown folder that Jax had taken Eric’s picture from. The folder was sitting open on the table next to her and she pulled it closer to her. She started looking through the other images, several more were of Eric, but there were pictures of others as well. As she looked through the images, a larger picture came together in her head that brought her worry to its peak, but this time not for herself. “Whatever we do,” she said interrupting the conversation, “we have to do it fast.”

“What do you mean we?” Opie asked.

Jax was on the same page as he simply asked “We?”

“What’s the rush?” Clay asked.

Choosing to ignore Jax and Opie for the moment, Dani looked at clay and gestured at the pictures. “He has a kid in there.”

“What makes you say that?” asked Clay.

“A couple of things,” Dani said, rifling through the pictures. She pulled out two images of the same man. “Look at this. You can see he’s heading inside, look in the bag he’s holding-- it looks like there’s a stuffed toy. Here he is coming out. No bag. Who would be inside that building that would want a stuffed animal? A kid.”

“That doesn’t necessarily mean anything,” Clay argued, though he frowned. “Maybe he left it behind on accident.”

“Or maybe it was a gift to a child to make them less wary of him or to make him feel like less of a child molester. They do that sometimes, but if you don’t buy that, then here. What about this, then?” Dani rifled through the pictures until she found images of two other men, each alone outside the building. “I know these men. They were…regular visitors when I was there.” Dani paused, closing her eyes to steel herself against the onslaught of memories. “This man,” Dani pointed to one image, “used to be a teacher. He was fired for being a bit too hands on with one of his students, though they couldn’t prove anything enough to arrest him, or so I gathered from what he told me. He likes to play tutor. The other one, well he’s just a sick fuck who likes little girls to sit on his lap. They have a child in there. I know it. We have to do something.” Dani looked at the others in the room imploringly.

“Do you have any idea how much more risk it puts my guys at? How much more risk it Puts Your brother or Opie at to go in like that. We have no idea how many people they have in there, what kind of security they have in there.”

“We can find out. I’m not saying we should go in there without doing our homework—”

“Why?” Clay interrupted. “Why should we risk it?” He demanded.

“Because it’s the right thing to do.” Dani shot back. Clay just continued to stare at her. Dani huffed. “Fine.” She paused. “I have two reasons for you. First, because this club owes me. Who was it? Who beat the crap out of that man and set his place on fire? Was it you? Was it my father? One of the others? I don’t want to know. Whoever did it, though did it because that’s what the club wanted, but no done cared enough to make sure there wasn’t going to be any blowback. And you accused me of dragging the club into this shit, but you all were the ones who dragged me into it! I was the fucking blowback. I wish I could hate this fucking club. It would be so much easier.” Dani ran her good hand through her hair and let out an exasperated sigh as she glanced around the room. Happy appeared to be watching their conversation with calculated interest. Opie and Jax were looking at her with concern and alarm. “I don’t,” she said, looking in their direction. “Or I try not to, but it makes everything so complicated.” As she said this she ran her hand over the back of her neck, her fingers lingering on the spot Opie had suggested for her tattoo. She saw Opie’s stance shift, but she purposely looked away, not wanting to see his reaction. She could tell by the way he bristled that knew what she was referring to.

She redirected her focus back to Clay. “Saving this girl is like saving me. I need to do this. I know going after these assholes is the club’s way of fixing it, but saving a child is more important. Do this instead. No tracking down anyone else, no more investigating, no more retribution. This will help me straighten out all the shit in my head more than any act or revenge ever could. It settled the debt. It makes it right. Not to mention that doing this one thing is safer long term than going after all the big baddies in my journal.”

Clay was silent for a minute as he assessed the plan. “If we do this and there is no kid, if you’re wrong…?”

“You would have still tried; we’d still be square. Not your fault if I’m wrong, but I’m not wrong.” Dani told him. “She’s there, and I’m going to help her.”

“You’re going to stay right fucking here.” Jax interjected, coming towards her and grabbing her arm. “If she’s there, we will get her out. You’re not putting yourself in danger.”

“I don’t want to put myself in danger, but I’m not staying here.” Dani said, sending an imploring look to her brother. “I’m not saying I want to storm the castle with you; I don’t, especially if that’s the same place I was held. I don’t ever want to set foot in that place again if I can avoid it. I will wait somewhere safe, but nearby. You guys go in there and do what you do, find the girl and bring her to me. She’s going to need someone who understand what she’s been through to help her. She’s probably going to resist going with you, she’ll probably be scared of you. Having me there will help things go smoothly. Hopefully you can get her out to me without trouble. If you can’t though, you’ll bring me in to get her. If you can’t find her, you’ll bring me in to look for her myself, to see for myself no one is there, once all the baddies are taken care of and it’s safe to do so. It’s the best way do this, you know I’m right.” 

Jax stared at her harshly, trying to glare her into submission. When that failed, his eyes softened. “You don’t have to do this, Dani girl. Let us take care of this for you. Let us make it go away.”

Dani’s features had shifted from a glare of her own into a pleading look. “Jax, this isn’t me not wanting to burden you. Please understand this is something I have to do. It’s the only way I have of standing up to them, of taking back even just a sliver of what they’ve taken from me.”

Jax let out a sigh and shook his head before looking to Clay and giving him a shrug.

Clay’s shark eyes trained back on her and Dani sucked in a breath, trying prepare herself for another round of battle. “Say we agree with your little plan… Whether things go right or wrong, what’s to say a few months down the road it starts eating at you, you start thinking that maybe the next guy on your list might have someone new tied up in his basement too. What then?”

Dani’s eyes tightened. “I’ve already thought about that. A deal is a deal though, and I promised not to involve the club any further, so I wouldn’t—wouldn’t involve you that is.”

“But you’d go off half-cocked on your own to save the day?” Clay asked. Dani only shrugged in response. “You think you have what it takes to handle something like that by yourself?”

Dani shrugged again. “It took me about 30 seconds to come up with a plan to kill a man and escape captivity, and I was half bled out and delirious. That plan worked pretty well. If I had my full capabilities, some good intel and at least 5 minutes to plan I think I could come up with something.”

Clay stared her down for another minute. “Someone will be with you at all times. If they tell you to do something, you do it, are we clear?” Dani nodded. “Christ, your mothers gonna kill me,” he muttered to Jax.

Dani’s body filled with relief that they had finally agreed to her plan, but before she had a second to silently congratulate herself on her success, Opie was by her side and had taken a strong grip on her arm.

“Fuck that.” Opie said. “No.” With that he led her from the room. While his grip wasn’t strong enough to cause her harm, it was firm enough that it left no room for argument as she followed him out without much choice, and Dani realized she hadn’t won the war just yet.

As the door closed behind them to the chapel, Dani heard Happy, who had been mostly silent throughout their exchange, say. “I like her.”

Opie led her down the hall and into his room. He pulled her inside and locked the door behind him. Before she knew it, he had her planted firmly against the wall, his arms on either side of her, caging her in. She took in the sight of him, muscles tense, jaw clenched, eyes dark. Opie was not happy.


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

“What the fuck was that?” Opie asked her.

“Which part?” Dani asked

Opie scoffed and shook his head. “That’s a great question. I have problems with so much shit that just happened I don’t know where to start.”

“Why not start with the most important and work from there.” Dani suggested. Dani put her hand on Opie’s chest to try and calm him but he took a step back, rubbed his hand over his face and paced the length of the room several times before stopping in front of her again.

“The most important? Ok. Why the fuck do you think it’s ok to put yourself in danger? You don’t need to be there. We can handle this.” Opie told her.

“I do need to be there. You heard me down there, I know you didn’t like it, but I need you to understand that I have to do this.” Dani told him softly.

Opie took her face in his hands. “Let me do this for you. Let me protect you from this.” He looked into her eyes and she could see the worry in them and hear the undertones of pleading and frustration in his voice.

“You protect me from so much. But I need you to protect me a different way this time. Protect me by giving me your strength, by having faith in me that I can face this. Protect me by being there with me, by helping me save a child.” Dani leaned into Opie’s touch as she gazed at him earnestly. “I can’t do this without you.”

Opie sighed and pulled her to him. “I’m going to be with you. Promise me you will listen to everything I say. No taking chances.”

“I promise.” Dani said. She rested her head on his chest, but he gently pulled her away.

“We still have a lot more to talk about, baby,” he told her.

Dani nodded. “Ok. What do you want to talk about?” She asked.

“What did Clay say to you?” Dani hesitated so Opie continued. “You said he accused you of bringing drama to the club or something. I want to know what happened.”

Dani looked away for a moment before hesitantly looking back at Opie. “It was nothing.”

“If it were nothing, you wouldn’t have brought it up back there. What happened and when?” He demanded.

“It was after the incident with the van, Clay said something about not appreciating me bringing problems to the club, putting his guys in danger, and wouldn’t appreciate it continuing.” Dani explained. “Once Bert told us what he did back then and why, I made sure Clay knew that none of this was _my_ drama, that I didn’t do anything to bring any of this to us, that’s all.”

“When did Clay even have a chance to talk to you that day? Why didn’t I know about this?”

“When I was at the hospital. Jax stepped out of the room to take a call and Clay stepped in to talk for a minute. I didn’t say anything because I handled it, and we were dealing with bigger crap than Clay making an insensitive comment that day.”

“But it bothers you? What Clay said and the clubs’ involvement in what happened to you?” Opie asked.

“Yeah, what Clay said bothered me, but like I said, I handled it. He knew that day that he was wrong about what he said and an ass for saying it. As for the club… it’s complicated. I get why they put a stop to what he was doing. Drugs bring more cops to the area, which means more risk for the club and what you do. Plus, they’re bad for the community, and you guys need the community on your side. So, I get that. But the way it was done, they took everything from that man, and no one followed up to make sure he wasn’t a threat. It was reckless, and I paid the price for that recklessness. And I worry, is the club still reckless? Do you all take to many chances, or not think about potential risks or aftermath, and who will have to pay the price if so. I don’t want to think about something bad happening to people I love, I worry about you and Jax, Chibs, Bobby, all of you.”

“We know what we are doing, baby. We have to take risks sometimes for the club, but we can handle it. That’s the life, we all signed up for it. You didn’t, I know. I need you to trust that we know what we are doing—that I know what I’m doing and that I and the club will do everything we can to protect you from danger.” Opie assured her.

“I know you would. You, Jax, … Chibs. It’s like individually I can believe it, but its harder to accept it’s true collectively as a club.” Dani shook her head and sighed before she continued. “I don’t know. I think maybe when this whole mess is over it might be easier to reconcile that they are more or less one in the same.”

Opie nodded, processing what she was saying. “Is that the reason why you’re hesitating about getting my crow?” he asked.

“It’s part of it.” Dani admitted, looking down.

“What’s the rest of it?” Opie asked softly. When Dani kept looking down, Opie took her hand and pulled her over to the couch in his room, sat down and pulled her onto his lap. “Talk to me baby.”

Dani pulled Opie’s arms around her and leaned her head on his shoulder. She took a moment allow the warmth and the feelings of love and safety that always came from being in Opie’s arms like this. She tilted her head up and her eyes finally met his. “You know it’s not about you or how I feel about you, right?” she asked. “If it were just about us and how I felt about you, if life had dealt a different hand, Opie, I would tattoo your name over every square inch of my body if you asked. I’m terrified, though. Getting that tattoo terrifies me.”

Dani felt Opie tense at her words, though his hands were moving in soothing motions where they rested on her back and knee. “Why?” he asked.

“I know the situation is totally different, that this is my choice, but I can’t help it. I can’t help but think of the marks another man put on me. I’m scared that if I decide to get that tattoo, when they start to put it on me, that I’ll freak out—that I’ll flash back to that night. God, Opie, I didn’t feel human when that happened, not for months. I don’t ever want to feel that way, and I don’t ever want you to see me that way. I’m scared that if I don’t freak out and I do get the tattoo, that every time I see it, I’ll see my scars too and the negativity I feel about them will…infect the way I feel about your tattoo.

“Most of all though is how much I do want to have your crow on me. I’ve thought about if I should get it in a different place, like maybe on my the top of my foot or my ankle—where you touched me that night we were watching scary movies on the couch. But I like the idea of it on my neck more, so close to that spot that you love to kiss, the one that sends shivers down my spine. I like the idea that when I want to, I can pull my hair up, and the world can see that tattoo and know that I belong to you, or the idea that when I wear my hair down, and it’s hidden from the world it would feel more intimate, like something just between us. I love the idea that every time my hair brushes across my neck, it will make me think of that tattoo and remind me that you love me, that I’m yours.”

Opie’s arms tightened around her. “Let me get this straight. You want the tattoo, but you’re scared to get the tattoo because it might bring you back to the night you got your scars, and even if it doesn’t, the scars being close to the tattoo might change how you feel about it, and then on top of that, you’re don’t know how to feel about the tattoo’s connection to the club right now. Is that about right?”

“More or less,” Dani nodded shyly.

Opie kissed her forehead. “God woman, how does your head not explode?” Dani let out a shocked laugh and Opie chuckled before turning serious, though his eyes still sparkled with affection. “I want you to know there is no rush, you can take all the time you need to decide.” After a pause he spoke again. “Have you ever thought about seeing a dermatologist or a plastic surgeon or somebody like that to see about getting rid of your scars or making them less noticeable?”

Dani shook her head. “I kind of have a thing about doctors, and people I don’t know, and especially people I don’t know seeing and touching my back. It would be a panic inducing nightmare, but… maybe it would be worth it. Do you really think there might be something that would make them less hideous?”

Opie gave her a squeeze. “First, nothing about you is hideous, not even your scars.” He pressed a kiss to her temple. “But yeah, I do think that there is something that could help. I know your scars bother you, an if there’s something that would make them less noticeable—if that would make you feel better, then you should look into it.”

“I think I’d like to do that.” Dani hesitated. “Would you—would you go with me?” she asked.

Opie nodded before placing a kiss to her cheek and then a second kiss below her ear along her jawline. “If you want me there, I’ll be there.” Opie continued to kiss his way down her neck.

Dani let out a shuddering sigh, as her eyes fluttered closed. “Not that I’m complaining, Sasquatch, because I’m not, but what are you doing? I thought we were talking.”

“We talked. It’s been a trying day for both of us. It’s been emotionally trying for you for about a hundred reasons, so right now I’m kissing you so you will feel safe, and loved, and adored, and respected,” Opie told her while continuing to press kisses to her face, neck and shoulders. “Then, when I’m done with that, because it’s been trying for me, because my beautiful, crazy woman can’t be stopped from willingly putting herself in dangerous situations, making me overprotective, frustrated, and possessive… I’m going to kiss you so you know that you’re mine and you’re going to listen to everything I say.”

With that, Opie took her earlobe between his teeth, giving it a light tug before finally crashing his lips to hers. He invaded her mouth fiercely, possessively, just as he said he would. Dani moaned into the kiss, her good arm clutching at Opie’s shoulder. Opie’s hands moved to grip her hips and lifted her off his lap to move her instead to straddle him. He guided her into a rocking motion over his lap, her core grinding against his hardening erection, causing them both to let out moans of pleasure.

“Mine,” Opie growled against her lips as she gasped for air.

“Yours,” Dani agreed breathlessly, pulling his lips back to hers.

Opie’s hands travelled under her shirt up her sides, coming up to cup her breasts, his thumbs rubbing over her lace-covered nipples. He reached around her back to unclasp her bra when _bang-bang-bang-bang_ a loud knocking on the door interrupted them.

“You two kill each other yet?” they heard Jax call through the door.

Opie groaned as his forehead dropped to rest on her shoulder before he called back. “No, but I’m about to kill you, brother.”

Jax’s laugh could be heard laughing through the door. “Just remember that’s my sister in there with you, brother, and I don’t want to hear anything that will make me want to bleach my brain, so put it away and get your asses out here and have a drink.”

They took a few minutes to pull themselves together and went out to join the others. They were met with knowing smirks as they approached the bar, and Dani flushed. Jax’s eyes were filled with amusement as he tugged on the ends of her hair and handed her a drink.

Clay looked at Opie with a raised eyebrow, silently asking if he had managed to talk Dani out of going with them when they went to Tacoma. Opie took a long drink of the beer that was handed to him and then shook his head. “She’s a stubborn ass,” he said.

Clay acknowledged him with a grunt before telling them that they were going to be gathering more intel on the location and that they would head up to Tacoma in a few days.

Dani nodded and took a sip of her own drink and sighed. “What is it with me and this place?” she asked.

“What do you mean?” Jax asked her.

“I mean, this place has been the sight of the beginning, middle and/or end of almost every emotional breakdown, argument, freak out, and meltdown I’ve had since I’ve been back. It’s like this place is my emotional black hole.” Dani took another sip of her drink. Every time I come here, I don’t know if I’m going to have a good time with friends, or if I need to prepare for the black hole’s crushing gravitational force.”

Jax shook his. “Dani girl, I love you, but you can be really fucking dense sometimes.” Jax seemed frustrated, bordering on angry. The others seemed to be sharing his sentiment.

“Wait, what do _you_ mean?” Dani asked puzzled. Jax just shook his head again.

Dani was surprised when Clay took up the conversation for him. “What your brother means is that for a smart girl, you can be pretty damn slow on the uptake.” Dani just looked at him and shrugged, still not understanding what they were talking about. Clay continued. “This place doesn’t suck that shit out of you. You choose to let it out here. You chose to come here when the feds came by the house. You chose that moment to talk about what you went through when you argued with your mother. There’s only one place a person can be ok letting that shit out and still feel comfortable to spend time at.” Dani stared at him and again shrugged and shook her head, still not sure about his meaning. “Home is what we’re talking about.” Clay put a hand on her shoulder. “This place, these people. This is your home, girl.” He gave her shoulder a pat and grabbed his beer and left her with Jax and Opie.

Dani stood there by the bar processing what he said. She knew that this place was important to her family. She knew that everyone she cared about, excepting Alice, all came here. She remembered telling Jax that she was starting to recognize that there were people here who cared about her. “Huh,” she said to herself as she continued to think about the relationships she had made here, and acknowledging that she came to the club when she was upset not just because she knew she would find Jax or Opie there, but also because a part of her felt safe on that lot.

She looked back and forth between Jax and Opie and then looked around the bar, spotting Chibs and Bobby at a table, Juice talking with Kip at the end of the bar, all the members scattered about.

She put her hand on the bar and bent over taking in a breath as she acknowledged the feeling of belonging. “Well fuck,” she said finally standing up and looking at Jax and Opie. “I really am an idiot.”


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

Dani had thought the day she would finally get her cast off would be a fantastic day. Her cast was itchy, annoying, restricted her daily activities, and did she mention it was itchy? Most of all, she missed riding on the back of Opie's motorcycle, wrapping her arms around him as the wind ripped around them, through them, lifting them, carrying them. She also felt like Opie had been holding back with her physically while she had been recovering. That night in his room at the club was the closest he had come to losing control and devouring her, but Jax had interrupted them. She appreciated Opie's gentleness, he had always been so with her and especially since she had broken her arm, but part of her was yearning for more, for Opie to let go with her. She had told herself once she got her cast off, she would find a way to bring it up with him.

As limiting as her cast was, she had also grown accustomed to Opie helping her with little things. She absolutely loved the feeling of him brushing her hair for her, and she had gotten used to the way he bat her hand away as she struggled with buttoning a blouse to take over for her, or the way he would automatically cut her meat for her when they sat down to dinner, or the way he would automatically open a can of Dr. Pepper for her before she could even try. Depending on someone- allowing them to take care of her, trusting them—it wasn't easy for her, but it was easy with Opie once she had been forced to let go of her stubbornness. While she was looking forward to cutting her own food again, she had decided she enjoyed Opie's attentiveness to her and would happily allow him to continue opening her car doors and helping her bring in the groceries, and the other little things that he used to try and do for her that she had bickered with him about and reluctantly allowed him to do.

Depending on people, trusting them wasn't something. She had grown up only being able to trust herself and to keep all her thoughts inside her mind. With Alice, she had found the first person she could trust. The moment she was reunited with Jax, her connection to him was instantaneous. Her connection with Opie was also pretty much there from the start, before she even realized it, before she was even comfortable with it.

Having people she cared about, who cared about her, was not something she was used to. Alice, Jax and her mother were the only people she expected to care about. When her relationship with Gemma had started off on the wrong foot, and her relationship with Opie developed, she thought that that would be it, those would be the people she would let into her life. Even just those few people made her nervous.

But she had let others in, Chibs especially, but also Bobby, Juice, Piney, all of them really. When she had been faced with the reality that she had, without her noticing, developed an extended family, a home she had been equal parts happy and terrified. Happy because she had never imagined that she would be comfortable around so many people. Terrified because it meant she had so much more to lose. There was a part of her that, perhaps always, that would be afraid that one day everything and everyone that she had found would be ripped away from her. She shook her head to chase those thoughts away whenever they came to her mind—that wouldn't happen, there's no way it could happen.

Opie had appeared in the back yard as she was clumsily tending to her garden. "Want to get your cast off today?" he asked.

Dani looked up at him startled. "What do you mean? My appointment isn't for a few more days."

"We can get it off today." He held out his hand to help her up.

"Really?" Dani asked, taking his hand and allowed him to pull her to her feet. She smiled up at him brightly. "When can we get it done?"

"Now." He told her.

Dani enthusiasm waned as the wheels in her head started turning. "What's going on?" She asked curiously. She didn't think that Opie would arrange for her to get her cast off early unless there was a reason.

"We're going to Tacoma today. You can't have a cast on when this goes down in case someone sees us. It stands out and could make it too easy to identify you." He told her. "I packed our bags already, so you just need to get cleaned up."

She was all nerves, suddenly. This was real, finally. She looked up to Opie nervously, instantly thinking of a million ways things could go wrong.

"Relax, we aren't doing anything today but making the trip. Everything will be fine." He said, his hands on her shoulders. He kissed her forehead. "Come on, lets get you cleaned up."

They washed up quickly and Dani grabbed her purse and followed Opie outside to his truck. The drive to the doctor was quick, and Dani didn't have time to even sit down before being taken to the back, clutching Opie's hand and pulling him along with her. They stopped and took a quick X-ray of her arm to make sure the bones had healed enough for the cast to come off. They sat waiting in the small exam room for what felt like an eternity before the tech came in and said the doctor had reviewed her X-ray and approved her cast to come off.

The woman showed her the tool she would use to cut off her cast and demonstrated how it couldn't cut her skin and made quick work of cutting her cast. When the cast was cut away, the tech encouraged her to extend her elbow out and bend it back in all the way. The first movements of her unused joint caused a hiss as the unused muscles tightened. Her left hand grabbed her right forearm and supported her arm as she helped it complete the movements. The tech smiled sympathetically and asked if she wanted to do physical therapy sessions. Dani declined, unsure of the costs without insurance, and the tech gave her a sheet of exercises, encouraging her to do them as often as possible so she wouldn't lose any range of motion.

After giving some final instructions not to use her right arm to lift anything over five pounds for the next week or so but could use it normally after that. Opie walked her out of the offices back to the truck. Dani's arm felt light, having grown used to the weight of the cast. Opie opened the passenger door for her but didn't move out of the way so she could get in. Instead he turned to face her and ran his hand down her right arm from her shoulder down to her hand, intertwining his fingers with hers and gently bringing it up to his lips and he gave her hand a sweet kiss. "I missed this," he told her.

"Missed what?" Dani asked teasingly. "My arm? My hand?"

"Being able to touch every square inch of you," Opie replied in a low tone, practically a growl, a fire burning in his eyes as he pulled her to him with a searing kiss. The kiss was demanding and possessive and left Dani feeling breathless and dizzy. "Come on, we have to meet the others," he told her as he helped her into the truck. Dani scooted over into the center seat, wanting to feel the steadiness, the warmth of him as her nerves once again spiked. As much as she had fought to be a part of this, she was nervous about this trip. Frightened, really. She would have to face things that she had fought so hard to try and let go, to never think of. But she knew what was at stake and she needed to be a part of it. It would be worth it. And Opie would be there to keep her safe. That didn't stop the nervous energy in her body to cause her knees to bounce, until Opie put his hand on them to still their movements.

Taking his eyes off the road for a moment, he glanced at her. "Are you sure you still want to come?" He asked. "You can change your mind and stay here where you'll be safe."

Dani shook her head. "That would be so much worse," she told him. "Not knowing what was happening, worrying about you." She sighed. "I'm scared, but I have to do this. I need to prove to myself that I can face this and not hide away while people I care about put themselves at risk because of me." She took Opie's hand and gave it a squeeze. "I know you'd feel better if I stayed behind, but I can't. I need to be there, and I need to be close to you." She spoke quietly, unable to keep the fear and emotion out of her voice.

Opie squeezed her hand back as he let out a sigh of his own. "You make it impossible to argue with you sometimes," he told her as they pulled into the Teller-Morrow lot. Parking the truck, he turned to her and wrapped his arm around her. "I won't let anything bad to happen. Stop worrying about everything that could go wrong. Just focus on one step at a time, what comes next, and remember to do what I tell you until this is over."

Dani nodded and Opie gave her a quick kiss before climbing out of the truck and pulled her along with him. He grabbed their bags out off the back of the truck and led her under the awning outside the clubhouse. The place was packed with leather-clad bikers getting ready to go. Opie led her over to Jax, who pulled her into a hug.

"How does it feel to have your arm back?" he said, lifting it up to inspect it. Dani pulled it back carefully but gave her brother a grin.

"Right now, it feels about as useful as a cooked spaghetti noodle, but it's good," she told him as she slowly stretched the limb out and back. "What's happening next?" she asked.

"Listen, we are gonna be leaving soon," Jax said putting a hand on her shoulder. "As far as anyone knows we are doing a charity ride ending up at the Tacoma charter for a celebration. Some of the old ladies and families are coming, so it won't look strange that you're with us. Tomorrow, during the party, we will make our move."

Dani nodded. "Ok."

"I don't want you driving all that way alone so I was thinking we can put you in the van with the prospect… or you can ride with Gemma." Jax said.

"Gemma's coming?" Dani asked.

"It's part of the cover. She'll be at the party."

"Why can't I go in the truck with Opie?" Dani asked, looking between Jax and Opie.

"I'm taking my bike," Opie said, gesturing to the line of bikes where his was parked.

"How did that get here when we took your truck?" Dani asked.

Opie winked at her. "Biker magic."

Dani just shook her head at him, though she couldn't help but smile.

"So, who do you want to go with?" Jax asked. "I know things haven't been easy with you and Gemma, but it seems like things are a bit better now, right?"

Things had been better. Gemma had brought over several meals while Dani was injured so she wouldn't have to worry about cooking. Their conversations, while not quite easy, were mostly friendly, and Dani had hopes that they would continue in the right direction. "I'll ride with Gemma."

Opie started walking her towards where Gemma's car was parked. Gemma was standing by her car talking with Clay.

"I wish I could ride with you," Dani said softly.

"Can't risk it with your- what did you call it? Spaghetti arm. As soon as your healed up a bit more, I'll take you for a long ride."

"Sounds good." Dani said.

As they got closer to the car, they saw Clay give Gemma a kiss before walking over to his bike to prepare to leave.

Opie put her bag in the back of Gemma's car, gave Gemma a nod hello and then turned to Dani and kissed her softly. "See you soon," he said.

The ride was long, but uneventful, the two women chatted a little bit but spent most of the ride in comfortable silence.

When they arrived at the Tacoma charter later that day, the members were greeting them enthusiastically. A party was underway, and while everyone she met was nice, it was a smidge too rowdy and crowded, so it wasn't long before Opie led her to the room they would be staying in.

Dani could hardly sleep that night, though she tried not to fidget in bed too much, not wanting to wake Opie. She must have fallen asleep at some point because she blinked and suddenly it was morning.

After a quick breakfast she was ushered into a dark colored van with Kip and Chibs. They were parked down the street from the building the others were infiltrating as she sat there.

After what felt like hours, Chibs got a call. He hung up quickly before looking at her. "You're up, lass." He told her as Kip put the van in gear.

Dani thought she was going to be sick.


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

Dani took a deep breath to steady herself. She shot a worried glance at Chibs who gave her a quick nod and clasped a firm hand on her shoulder.

“You ready, Lass?” Chibs asked her as the vehicle began to slow.

Dani closed her eyes. “I can do this,” she whispered to herself, then opened her eyes and made eye contact with Chibs before nodding. “I can do this.” She said again with forced determination.

Chibs gave her a look of approval. “Just walk right inside. Your brother and Opie will be right there waiting.”

Dani nodded again. Chibs opened the door and guided her to step out with the hand that was on her shoulder. Dani didn’t think Opie meant his advice to take this one step at a time literally, but that’s exactly what was going through her mind as she forced her feet to keep moving, one in front of the other in a quick walk. Before she was ready, she was walking through the door. The familiar comfort of Jax and Opie did little to quell the tightness spreading across her chest. She took in a deep breath and took in her surroundings for the first time. They were standing in an open, well-lit photography studio. She was surprised; she knew of course that it would be unlikely she would walk through the doors into sinister looking surroundings, but she wasn’t expecting anything quite so ordinary looking.

She looked to Opie. “What’s happening?” she asked.

“We got him. We’re taking him somewhere we can deal with him. We found some messed up shit, we can’t find the kid, though.” He told her as he guided her towards the back of the studio. “Take a look around. See if we missed anything.” He led her to the back of the building and began heading down a flight of stairs into a basement.

Dani hesitated at the top of the stairs. She felt her chest restrict even further at the thought of going down those stairs. Jax put his hands on her shoulders and she looked back at him as she immediately took comfort in the reassuring presence of her brother.

“You good?” Jax asked. Dani nodded, took a shaky breath, and walked down the stairs. Opie was waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs and took her hand. He gave it a squeeze before leading her through the basement.

Dani looked around as he led her first through what looked like a storage room with backdrops and props, then into a darkroom. At the other end of the darkroom there was another door that was open and led into a narrow hallway. Opie guided her into the first room the hallway led to, which was an office. It was an ordinary looking office, by all accounts, with a wooden desk in the middle and a row of file cabinets along the back wall.

It was remarkable to Dani only because it was exactly how she remembered it. The only addition to the office was a fairly new looking desktop computer sat on the desk where before there was nothing. Her memory was of a neat and orderly office. The chaos of crooked furniture and papers strewn about only added to the slew of painful memories coming to the forefront of her mind. The phantom shouts for Diana echoed in her ears, her cheek tingled with the remembrance of a slap. She systematically tensed all the muscles in her body in a futile effort to keep from trembling.

Sucking in a breath she looked at Opie. “You said you found something?” she asked.

Opie’s jaw clenched and his eyes hardened as he nodded. “They were pretty well hidden, but we found these in a false bottom of one of the desk drawers.” He gestured to a small stack of file folders. “They each have a girl’s name on the label. There’s one labelled ‘Diana.’” He told her.

Dani swallowed. “Did you look at it?” she questioned.

“Just enough to know that it was yours,” he said tightly.

“I—can we take it with us, or do you think someone might come to check on things when he’s gone and might notice its missing?”

“There won’t be anything left for them to notice.” Dani started to ask what Opie meant but he cut her off. “Go with Jax. Make sure we didn’t miss anything when we looked for the kid.”

Dani nodded but before she turned to leave the room, she put a hand on Opie’s arm and gave it a squeeze. “I don’t want—the file you found—I don’t want anyone else to see it, or I want to see it first, at least.”

Opie agreed then gave her a nudge to go. She followed Jax into the hallway. “Where did you look for her?” She asked him.

“Everywhere,” Jax told her. “There’s not many places to hide someone in the studio upstairs but we looked. We searched the storage room we came through, the office, and there’s a kids’ room and a kitchen at the end of the hall.”

“What about the closets?” Dani asked as she forced her feet down a hallway she hadn’t traversed in over a decade. She knew Jax was speaking, but she could no longer hear what he was saying. Forcing herself not to stop, Dani nudged the open door so it would open fully and stepped inside the room that held so many of her nightmares. The walls were painted a pale blue with white fluffy clouds, but they had been faded and dingy even when she had been there and time had not been kind—the walls were dreary and gray looking, the attempt at false comfort and cheer morphed into the grim despair this room had brought her, like the walls couldn’t lie. One corner of the room held a table and two chairs. A long, low bookshelf sat along one wall, filled with children’s schoolbooks, papers, crayons, and pencils, a dusty chalkboard mounted to the wall. The area served as both a study area and dining table. The opposite corner held a loveseat and armchair facing an older television sitting on a small media cabinet, which held a handful of children’s movies. The third corner of the room held a door that led to a small bathroom, and a twin bed, covered in white sheets with a pale pink blanket. The final corner of the room held a wardrobe and a tall bookshelf filled with stuffed animals and other toys. A large rug sat in the middle of the room, the only area that had a cover over the cold concrete floors.

Jax brushed by her as he began another sweep of the room, looking under the bed, disappearing into the bathroom to look in there before coming back out a moment later and moving to the wardrobe. He yanked open the doors and swept the clothes aside. Dani finally was able to tune back in to what Jax was saying. “…not here. Where else would he put her?”

“That’s not the closet,” Dani said. “That wasn’t here when I was,” she told him as she moved past him to stand in front of the bookshelf. “Neither was this. The closet was here; it was right here.” Grasping the edge of the bookshelf, she started pulling, but the shelf did not budge. Giving another tug she looked over at Jax. “Help me with this.”

Jax went to the opposite side of the shelf and pushed, frowning when it didn’t budge. He came over to her side, maneuvering her out of the way. He pulled on the shelf, but once again, it did not move. Inspecting the shelf, he knelt down as something caught his eye. “Look. It’s on a track,” he said, pointing to where there were tracks set into the floor. At first glance it looked like a crack in the floor, but it was too uniform looking. Jax began running his hands along the shelves, moving some of the objects on the shelves as he went. “There’s got to be a latch somewhere.” Dani wasn’t sure what Jax did, but he must have found the hidden latch because a moment later the shelf was sliding easily to the side to reveal a closet door.

Dani moved forward to open the door, but Jax held her back and reached for the door himself. He looked over his shoulder at her and nodded, then, with one hand on the doorknob, the other resting on his gun handle as it rested in its holster and opened the door in one swift movement.

Huddled in the corner of the closet was a young girl, maybe six or seven years old, with copper-colored curls and bright green eyes staring up at them, eyes wide with fear. Dani pushed Jax out of the way and knelt in front of the open door. “It’s ok,” Dani said softly extending her hands out, palms up in a reassuring gesture. “We’re here to help. We’re going to take you home.” The girl pushed back further into the back of the closet, clearly not convinced.

“I know you’re scared, but it’s ok. Can you tell me your name?” Dani asked.

The little girl stared at her for a moment before stuttering out a reply in a tone just above a whisper. “Sa—Sarah.”

“Is that what they call you here?” Dani asked. The little girl hesitated again before nodding. “Did you have a different name before you came here?” When the girl did not respond, Dani continued. “When I was a little girl, someone took me away from my family and they brought me here. They made me use a different name and tried to convince me that my family wasn’t real, that my life wasn’t real. Eventually, I played along and pretended because I didn’t want to get punished anymore. It took a long time but eventually I escaped and found my family. I promised that one day I would find the people that took me from them and make sure they couldn’t hurt anyone anymore.”

The girl in the closet had inched closer as Dani spoke. Dani took that as a good sign and kept talking. “I’m going to help you find your family. No one is going to hurt you again. Do you believe me?” The girl hesitated then nodded. “Is Sarah your real name?” The girl hesitated again. “It’s ok. You can tell me. No one will hurt you, remember? Is Sarah your name?” The girl shook her head. “Do you want to come out of the closet now? I’ll take you out of here, and once you tell me your name, we’ll start looking for your family.”

Dani held out her hand to help the girl up, but she darted right past her hand, launching herself into Dani’s arms. “My name is Savannah,” she gasped out as she began to cry. Dani’s arms wrapped around Savannah, holding the girl as tightly as she was clinging to her. Dani felt her own eyes start to fill with tears when she felt a large hand on her shoulder. She startled, then relaxed as she looked up at her brother.

“We need to go.” Jax told her. Dani nodded and adjusted her grip on Savannah before standing up while keeping her hold on the young girl. Dani frowned as she tried to ignore the ache that ran through her newly healed elbow. So much for not lifting more than five pounds.

“Hold on,” Dani whispered to Savannah. “I’m taking you out of here, ok?” She felt Savannah nod into her shoulder. Dani’s vision was blurred with the tears she was trying but failing to hold back. If it wasn’t for Jax’s guiding hand on her back Dani would not have been able to safely walk down the hallway, through the storage room, up the stairs and out a back door to the waiting van. She climbed in carefully and settled on the floor with Savannah, unaware of the looks of shock and surprise at the sight of the girl in Dani’s arms.

When the men had searched the building, there had been a mutual feeling of disgust when they found the kids room in the basement, but upon completing their search and not finding a child, they had assumed that either Dani had been wrong about there being a kid there, or that the kid had already been sent off someplace else. They had brought Dani in mostly to humor her and ease her mind that they weren’t leaving a child behind.

The van door closed, cutting off the looks and as the van started moving Dani began rocking with Savannah, trying to sooth the child’s sobbing, even as Dani’s own tears were now falling freely and she was barely able to contain her own sobs. “It’s ok Savannah, You’re safe. I know.” Dani kept repeating these same phrases over and over.

The van had been travelling for about ten minutes before it slowed to a stop, not that Dani noticed. She was too focused on Savannah, offering comfort, taking on as much of the girl’s pain as she could—pain that was ripping open the scars of her own emotional wounds.

“Lass,” Dani heard Chibs speaking quietly in her ear. Dani looked up at him, lost. “If you can put yourself together a bit for just a moment, there’s something I think you’ll want to see.” He told her. It took her a moment to process what he was saying, but when she did, she nodded and closed her eyed, took a few deep breaths and tried to will the tears to stop, as she continued to soothe Savannah.

Her vision cleared somewhat as the tears slowed to a trickle and she looked back up a Chibs. He opened the siding door of the van, and she could see they were parked at an overlook on the side of a hill. The overlook showed the small town outside Tacoma, and she looked at Chibs in question. “What am I supposed to be seeing?”

“Just watch.” He told her. “You’ll see it any minute now.”

Not even a full minute had passed before she saw the reason for their stop. A glowing burst of red and yellow erupted from the edge of town. Despite the distance, she could hear the far-off sound of the explosion. It took her a few moments for her to process what it was she was seeing and to put it together. “Is that…?” she trailed off, not even sure how to ask her question, or what question it was she was asking exactly.

“Your old man does good work.” Chibs commented.

Dani looked at him in surprise before everything clicked into place. Opie had served time for arson. The urgency in his eyes as he told her to make sure they hadn’t missed anything in their search for the girl. His comment about no one noticing her missing file. There wouldn’t be anything to miss. “O—” she glanced down at Savannah. They had been careful not to use any names around her. She didn’t think the girl was paying attention, too lost in her own head at the moment, but it was best to be careful. She cleared her throat and started again. “He did that?”

“Aye.” Chibs told her. “We all agreed to send the building, and the sorry sack of man we found in it both to hell. As soon as we get some information on this one,” he nodded to Savannah, “you can have a talk with your old acquaintance while we figure out how to get her home.”

Dani nodded, her eyed travelling back to the fire. They were too far away to feel the heat of the fire, but warmth spread through Dani anyway. It was as if the force of the fire was burning through her soul, but instead of destroying her as it had the building in her sight, it fortified her, strengthened her, the spark of the flames that reflected in her watery eyes sparking her anger, allowing her to put a damper on the pain and fear and every emotion that made her feel weak. Opie had set this fire, this explosion and with it had sent her his strength. She had been so close to falling apart, but she now had what she needed to continue with the remaining tasks of the day. She took it in, breathing deeply for a moment before she leaned back and wiped the last of the tears from her face. She knew what she had to do.

________________________________________

Ninety minutes later, Dani had calmed Savannah and gotten as much information as she could from the girl. Savannah Montgomery was six years old from Portland, Oregon. Her mommy was called Beth and her daddy was David and they had a cat named Snuffles. She didn’t remember her phone number but was able to recite her address. Dani wrote down the information and passed it to Chibs, who pulled out his phone to call, she was sure, Juice to relay the information. Dani made them stop and pick up some food, had to insist upon it, but when she saw how quickly Savannah ate the chicken nuggets and french fries they had picked up for her, she was glad she hadn’t agreed to wait.

Having grown tired from the emotions of the day and a full stomach, Savannah had started to doze off when the van once again slowed to a stop. Chibs had leaned over to whisper to her before she nodded and turned her attention to the sleepy girl. “Savannah,” Dani said softly. The young girl opened her eyes and looked up at her sleepily. Dani shrugged off her jacket and tucked it around Savannah as a makeshift blanket. “I have to go and take care of something and work out how to get you home. You stay here and

sleep. I won’t be far, and my friends will be right outside. I promise you no one will hurt you here. If you need anything, you just call out and they will come get me ok?” Savannah nodded hesitantly and closed her eyes again. Dani sat with her for a few more minutes until she was sure Savannah was sleeping again.

Dani crawled out of the van and closed the door softly behind her. They were parked outside an old warehouse and standing just a few steps away, waiting for her, was Opie. He moved to her, arms open ready to bring her to him, but instead of allowing herself the comfort of his embrace she grasped his hands in hers and stepped closer, close enough that she could feel his warmth but not actually touching him except for where their hands were intertwined. “I’m holding myself together, but just barely. If you touch me, I think I might fall apart.”

Opie looked at her in concern. “Are you ok?” he asked, running his thumbs over her hands.

“Better since I saw that fire of yours,” she said with a weary smile.

A smirk flashed across Opie’s face for the briefest moment before turning serious again. “Ready?” he asked her. Dani sucked in a deep breath and nodded. Keeping hold of one of her hands, he led her inside the warehouse. Just inside the door, Jax, Clay and Tig were standing in wait. Bobby and Happy were standing further in the warehouse and from this angle it appeared they were glaring a pillar they were standing in front of. She craned her neck slightly and could see that a man was tied to that pillar. A breath caught in her throat as she caught the briefest glimpse of the man who had carved out a large part of her nightmares. She could only see part of his head and shoulder as he was tied facing away from her, but that glimpse was enough to rattle her. A few men she didn’t know that she assumed were from the Tacoma charter were scattered about as well.

Tearing her gaze away, she turned her attention to Clay as he began to speak. “Ok kid, it’s your show now.” He told her.

Dani nodded, then hesitated. “I know we have a deal,” she said looking to Clay, “that after this we are done, no more retribution, and I still stand by it, I don’t think I could take another day like this. But I have to ask him about the people I went to after him. I can’t not ask. I don’t know if he will tell me anything, but I have to try. I have to know. Mayb—”

“Today changed a few things.” Jax broke in, giving Clay a look before turning to Dani. “We’ll talk about that later though. You do what you got to do.”

Clay gave Jax a hard stare, then looked to Dani and seemed to lose a bit of that heat and then smiled sardonically. “Let’s go say hello to your old friend then.”

Not sure what to make of the exchange between Jax and Clay, and not having the mental or emotional capacity to think about it, Dani turned and started walking towards the man tied to the pillar, flanked by her small army of bikers. Summoning the embers of the internal fire that was fueling her Dani rounded the corner and got her first look in years at the man. Dark hair, now salt and peppered, with a well-groomed mustache and beard, his six foot frame was lean and muscular, though a bit thicker around the middle than she remembered. His eyes were steel gray and assessing as she approached.

“Hello Eric,” she said, and was surprised by the calm, even tone of her voice. “Do you know who I am?” she asked.

As he took her in the look on his face was almost delighted when he responded. “You were always one of my favorites. So strong, such spirit, such fun to break. Though you never would break completely, would you? It’s good to see you again, Diana.”

It wasn’t until she felt the sting on her hand that she realized she had taken the three steps necessary to close the distance and slapped him across his face. “You dreamed Diana,” she said sarcastically. “You made her up, but she doesn’t exist. Say my name.”

Eric chuckled, he actually chuckled, which shocked Dani. “Oh, Diana, that tickled, my little feisty mouse.”

Dani scoffed with disbelief. “You’re awfully confident for the one whose been caught in the trap this time. Maybe one of my friends here can help you remember my name without tickling.” She stepped back as she spoke.

As if it had been previously arranged, Opie stepped forward and, using the momentum of his approach he landed a punch square in Eric’s jaw that was so powerful that it knocked two of his teeth out. Stepping up into his face Opie growled “Personally, I don’t want to hear her name uttered from your mouth, but she wants to hear it, so you fucking say it.”

Eric turned to the side and spat out a mouthful of blood. “Very well, Danielle. I must commend you on the brutes that you’ve hired in your little quest here. I wonder how much they cost you… must have taken everything you have. I wonder if they would be interested in a counter-offer,” he mused.

“These _brutes_ as you put it, aren’t hired help. This is the family I was taken from. The family you kept me from. No one is here for money, we’re all here for payback.” Dani informed him and for the first time, she saw that arrogant mask of his slip and his face flash with worry before looking resigned.

“Bravo, Danielle,” Eric said, his voice full of resignation. “You finally have the upper hand. What is it that you want, my dear?”

“I want you to know that I’m the one who stopped you. You are a sick fuck, and you won’t hurt anyone else ever again. Your little house of horrors you masquerade as a photography studio is gone. Blown to tiny bit— don’t worry though, we found the girl. That bookcase trick was clever If I hadn’t been there, we might not have found her.” Again, a flash of emotion showed on Erics face—this time anger. “What happens with you, well I haven’t decided yet. That depends on how much information you want to give me.”

“What exactly do you want to know?” Eric asked.

“I want to know about your friend, the one you gave me to.”

“Oh no. I didn’t give you away. You brought in a hefty price tag. Little virgin whores always do, especially ones with as much spirit as you.” Eric interjected, but was met with a second punch from Opie.

“You will speak to her with respect.” Opie said in a dangerous tone.

“Your friend, Nicholas. I want to know everything you know about him, including where he took me, and where he is now.”

“I don’t suppose it would hurt you to know.” Eric said. “Nicholas Jennings is the man you are asking about. While you were a guest of his—”

“Guest? Diana interjected with disgust. “Is that what you call us?”

Eric smirked but continued speaking as if he hadn’t heard her, “-- you were held on his property somewhere outside Billings, Montana. He’s not there anymore though. About six years ago, he became a longtime resident of Montana State Prison. He wasn’t as careful as he should have been with his circle of friends, trusted the wrong people. He got too greedy too, started hosting multiple guests at the same time.”

“It was hard to keep track of time while I was… _a guest_ of you and your friends, but it was about six or seven years ago that he sent me someplace else.” Dani said, faltering as she started processing this new information.

As if Eric could sense the change, his tone turned taunting. “Yes, I spoke to Nicholas about three months before he was arrested, he had just sent you to your new host and was looking to host a new guest himself. I wasn’t ready to part with mine yet, and I was losing trust in him, so I turned him down. Just think. If the police had moved a little sooner, if he had held on to you a little longer, you could have been rescued sooner, returned to your family sooner. How much longer did you have to endure? Months? Years?”

The information hit her like a punch to the stomach as she gasped out loud. As if sensing her pain and wanting to inflict it back on Eric, Opie rammed his fist into the other man’s midsection.

‘Don’t lose your shit yet,’ Dani thought to herself. ‘Keep it together. Feed the fire. Think angry.’

“Why aren’t you in jail then? Seems he might want to turn in some of his friends to have made a better deal for himself.” Dani asked.

Eric’s response was a bit wheezy as he recovered from Opie’s latest blow. “Because he knows if he turned anyone in, a shorter sentence wouldn’t matter, it would buy him a death sentence from all of us.”

“What do you know about where I was sent after him?” Dani demanded.

“Nothing,” Eric replied. “When I spoke to Nicholas, he mentioned you were somewhere in the northeast, but didn’t specify where or who. As curious as I was, don’t have many contacts out that way.”

“Are you telling the truth?” Dani asked.

“I would never lie to my Diana.”

“Thank you, Eric.” She said, putting a hand on Opie’s shoulder and pulling him back. After the had backed away a few steps she held out a hand. “Jax. Give me your gun, please, will you?”

“What?” was the same response from Jax, Opie and Eric.

“What are you doing? Let take it from here.” Jax said, appearing at her side. “You don’t have to do this,” he told her.

“Trust me,” she said. “I know what I’m doing. Let me do this.” She looked from him to Opie, silently giving them a look of pleading determination.

Jax, Opie and Clay exchanged glances before Clay gave a single nod. Jax slowly pulled the gun out of his holster and placed it in her hands. “Do you remember how I showed you to use it?” he asked her. Dani nodded as she checked the safety on the gun, and raised it to take aim at her target.

Eric let out a dark laugh of disbelief. “You won’t shoot me. You might have been a bit feisty, but you don’t have the killer instinct.”

Dani lowered the gun for a moment as she made herself meet Eric’s gaze. “Do you know how I escaped?” she asked him, knowing he didn’t and continued. “I stabbed a man. Repeatedly. I don’t even know how many times I stabbed him, I just kept going until he was dead.”

“Twenty-three.” Happy chimed in. “It was a thing of fucking beauty.”

Surprised, she turned to Happy. “You saw it?”

As happy nodded, Jax spoke. “Not all of it,” he assured. “Just the end of it. That day we were making plans, you mentioned it, and when Opie pulled you out of the room, Happy asked about it.”

“It was Like Lizzie fucking Borden,” Happy commented.

“Lizzie used an ax, not a knife,” Dani said. “But we are getting off track.” She turned her attention back to Eric. “The point is that I’ve proven I’ll do what I have to,” she told him as she raised the gun again. She took aim, took a deep breath in, and as she exhaled, she pulled the trigger. The sound of the gunshot made her ears ring and almost drowned out Eric’s cry of pain as the bullet tore through his upper right thigh.

“You trying to hurt him or kill him?” Clay asked from behind. “Cause if you’re trying to kill him, you’re a bit off your mark.”

“I missed my mark,” Dani agreed breathlessly as her hands trembled slightly, “but only by a few inches.” As the men in the room realizes which appendage Dani had been aiming for some of them shifted on behalf of their own equipment, others smirked.

“You fucking bitch!” Eric shouted, anger and pain mixing in his voice. “You act like a fucking victim, but you liked it, you little slut! You whores always like it.”

Dani’s whole body rolled with a violent tremor and in the blink of an eye, the gun was out of her hand and in Opie’s as he emptied the clip into Eric’s chest. Jax reached out and put his hands on Dani’s shoulders to steady her. Dani’s eyes glazed over as she felt herself start to lose control over herself.

‘Not yet!’ she told herself. ‘You still have to help Savannah.’ She didn’t notice when Opie lowered the gun or handed it off to someone. She barely felt his hands as they cupped her face, barely heard him ask if she was ok. She began to count to ten, slowly. “One…two… three…” she whispered under her breath. Ten seconds was all she would allow herself to let the events of the day this far wash over her before she reigned it all in and pushed everything back into tightly packed little boxes of control. She closed her eyes as she continued to count. When she reached ten, she pushed everything down, down as deep as she possibly could and opened her eyes to look at Opie. He was watching her with concern, a concern that deepened as he saw the nothingness that was reflected in her own eyes as her body stopped trembling and she regained control over her motor functions.

“I’m ok… for now,” she told him, her voice a little hoarse, but devoid of emotion. “I still have things to do today. I’ll lose my shit when we’re done.” Opie eyed her carefully before nodding and taking her hand to lead her out of the warehouse. As he did, she turned her head over her shoulder to look at the deceased man, still standing in death, suspended by the ropes wrapped around the pillar. “Goodbye Eric,” she said quietly and turned back to follow Opie out and into the light of day.


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

“Savannah, wake up,” Dani said softly as she placed a hand on the girl’s shoulder. The girl sat up slowly rubbing sleep from her eyes.

“Where are we?” Savannah asked.

“Someplace that will help you get home to your mom and dad,” Dani told her. She pointed out the van window. “Do you see that building there?” At Savannah’s nod, Dani continued. “That’s a fire station.”

“Where the firemans live?” Savannah asked.

“That’s right,” Dani nodded giving her a small smile. “I’m going to open the van door, and when I do I want you to walk as fast as you can to that fire station. You can trust the firemen, they won’t hurt you, I promise.” Pressing a folded sheet of paper in her hands, Dani continued. “Give them this and tell them you need help. They will call your parents, but it may take a while for them to get here. Some police officers will come and ask you some questions. They might take you to see a doctor. I know it’s scary, but you need to be brave and trust me that everything will be ok. Do you trust me?”

Savannah nodded again. “Can’t you come with me?” she asked.

“I wish I could, but I can’t,” Dani said softly. “But you’re a strong girl. I know you can do this.”

The plan had been presented to Dani just outside the warehouse. She had argued for taking Savannah all the way to her parents but had been shot down when it was pointed out that they needed to get the kid out of their custody as soon as possible in case they were caught, not to mention, someone might be more apt to notice their van in a residential area on the day a missing child was returned home. Likewise, taking her to a police station was too risky because of potential security cameras or police officers noticing their van as being suspicious. A fire station about halfway between Tacoma and Portland had been chosen, being far enough away not to draw suspicion, close enough that no one was getting antsy about how long Savannah was with them. The fire station was explained to her to be the best choice because it didn’t have the security risks of a police station, but would be a safe place for her to go.

A letter had been typed up stating that Savannah had been found by a ‘concerned citizen’ with someone who was not a parent or guardian and someone who was believed to be causing her harm. It then listed all the information we had obtained about Savannah and her parents. Jax had handed her a pair of black leather gloves that fit her almost perfectly and made her put them on before handing her the letter.

Focusing back on Savannah, Dani asked “Are you ready?”

Savannah nodded before launching herself over to Dani and wrapping her arms around her. Dani returned her hug with a fierce squeeze of her own for a moment before pulling back. “It’s time to go now, Savannah.” Dani slid the van door open and helped the girl step out before pointing her in the right direction. “Remember, walk straight there and don’t look back.”

Dani watched as Savannah walked away, intent on making sure she got to the firehouse without incident. She was almost there when Dani startled as a hand clapped down on her shoulder.

“We have to move, lass.” Chibs told her. Dani nodded and moved back into the van, curling into the corner behind the driver’s seat.

“Are we done?” Dani asked Chibs, looking up at him wearily.

“Not yet. We have to establish our alibi, just in case,” he told her. “We have a party to get to.”

Dani just stared at him for a moment. “I don’t think I’m exactly in what you would call a party mood, Chibs.”

“We just need to get you in a couple picture we can pretend happened throughout the day. It will only take a few minutes and then you’ll be done. Do you need anything?” Chibs asked.

“No. Yes. Opie?” As she said his name, she reached up and pulled off the dark gray knit beanie that he had insisted she wear to offer her the slightest shield of her identity from anyone who might have witnessed their activities today--including Savannah. She also pulled off the thick black plastic framed glasses. The guys had taken the precaution of wearing black hoodies over their cuts.

“He’ll be meeting us at the Tacoma charter. We’ll get you there as soon as possible.” He paused and then added. Hang in there, lass. You did good today. I’m proud of you.”

Dani nodded. “I feel so numb right no, I can’t really process anything but in a few days, when my head is clear, that’s gonna mean a lot.” She closed her eyes, not to sleep, but to shut out the world, to close off her senses as much as she could. She sat there and focused on nothing, let herself be surrounded by nothing, float in nothing. It felt like no time had passed at all when the van had come to a stop and she opened her eyes in time to see Chibs open the van door and step out. She crawled out after him and scanned her surroundings.

They were back at the Tacoma charter. The smells of charcoal and cooking meat filled the air as music drifted from somewhere. Men in leather kuttes milled about with their old ladies and kids ran about laughing. The celebration that was serving as the reason for their visit did not look at all as hastily put together as it had been. She turned her head and saw Opie walking towards her so she headed in his direction. She walked straight into his chest and wrapped her arms around him. She felt so numb that she no longer felt like she would crumble in his arms, but she needed to feel his warmth and strength around her.

“You ok, babe? Almost done,” Opie told her, rubbing her hands up and down her arms.

“I’m hanging in there, but can we hurry up and smile pretty for the camera and get the hell out of here?” Dani asked.

Opie nodded and guided her over to where people were being gathered for a group photo. Looking down at her, Opie frowned. “You’re always gorgeous, but you don’t look like you can fake happy right now.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pair of dark sunglasses before sliding them onto her face. “There. It’s a shame to cover those eyes, but you won’t fool anyone otherwise.”

She was strategically sandwiched between Jax and Opie until the picture was snapped, then she was escorted over to another area and had a plate of food and a beverage shoved into her hand, another strategic picture taken, then was moved again a few more times in a few carefully crafted ‘candids.’

When they were finally done, Opie pulled her over to his bike, made sure she would be ok riding on the bike for the short trip to the motel they were staying at, and helped her on with the helmet. Dani held tight to him as they made the trip and was reluctant to let go when they arrived.

Dani let go and climbed off the bike when she felt Opie chuckle as he stroked her hands that were clasped around him. She wasn’t that surprised when she noticed Jax had followed them to the motel.

“You did damn good today, Dani girl,” Jax told her after he had given her a long hug. “What do you need? You want to hang out and be distracted? Lose your shit? Are you hungry? You want one or both of us to fuck off and leave you alone for a while?”

Dani felt torn. She was barely keeping it together, but there was one more thing she wanted to do today. “I want to see that file.” She said, looking back and forth between the two of them.

“Baby, don’t you think it would be better to wait? You’ve dealt with a lot today, and we don’t know what’s all in there. I don’t want you to have to deal with anything else today.” Opie said, reaching out and placing his hand on her upper arm.

“Opie, no matter whether I look at that file today or not, I’m going to lose it. But I don’t want to fall apart today, build myself back up, only to break down again in a few weeks or days, or whenever I do look at that file. I can’t keep doing this, I just want to get it all over with.” She stared at him refusing to give in until he huffed and nodded.

He opened the door to their hotel room and gestured for her to enter ahead of him. Dani sat down at the small table by the window, Jax and Opie taking a seat on either side of her. Opie pulled out the file folder from inside his kutte. Setting it on the table, he turned it in her direction and slid it over in front of her.

Dani took a deep breath as she rested her hand on the folder and opened it up with a trembling hand. Taped to the inside of the folder was a ziplock bag. She opened it and reached inside pulling its contents out. She opened her palm and held out a small, black plastic rectangle with a metal tip. “This is a computer thing, right?”

“Yeah, it’s a flash drive,” Jax told her. “I’ll go grab Juice’s laptop and we will check it out.” He got up and left the room as Dani turned her attention to the papers in the folder. The first couple pages consisted of her statistics, including her real name and date of birth, which surprised Dani, her alias Diana, basic health screening info that had been done by a ‘doctor friend’ of Eric’s, and a disturbing ledger detailing her value—how much she had earned Eric. Feeling queasy, but determined, she turned the page to inspect the next item.

It was a photograph, a stack of photographs really, the first few were disturbing in their innocence. She was wearing a few different dress-up costumes, but the look in her eyes and the expression on her face showed anxiety and fear. Parts of the costumes went missing as the pictures continued until she was wearing only underwear and a tank top. And then less. And then things got worse. A man’s hands entered the pictures, resting on her shoulders. It got worse, and then worse after that.

Dani slapped the folder shut. She was hyperventilating. Squeezing her eyes shut, she tried to block out the images. She had forgotten—well not forgotten exactly, but her mind had blocked out a lot of the details of her experiences, especially those when she was younger. Seeing those images, combined with being in the place they had been taken, the place she had been kept for so many years brought everything back into a painfully sharp focus.

Opie reached out to take her hand, but Dani pulled back; she didn’t think she could stand being touched at the moment by anyone, even Opie. “Baby, let me help you? Can I see?” he asked.

“No,” Dani gasped and jerked the file closer to her. Unfortunately, she jerked too hard and the file slipped onto the floor, its contents spilling everywhere. Dani flew off the chair and landed on her knees on the floor and began scooping up the pictures, clutching them to her chest, trying to shield them from view. “Don’t look at them,” Dani choked out as a sob escaped her. Her vision was blurring, but she could see in the corner of her eye that Opie had joined her on the floor and was kneeling a couple feet from her. “Don’t look at them,” she said again, clutching the photos tighter as she tried to scoop up more. “Don’t look at me.”

“Baby,” Opie started as he slowly reached out to her. His fingers had just barely brushed her shoulder when she jerked away, scooting further from him in an awkward way that all but guaranteed her knees would be glowing red with rugburn. She twisted herself as best she could, so she was turned away from him and faced the wall, pressing the side of her face against its surface.

“Don’t touch me!” Dani had shrieked as she jerked away. The place where she pushed and crammed all the emotions and feelings and memories that she ignored most days and had been fighting down all that day had exploded, she couldn’t hold anything back if she wanted to, and god, she wanted to. Tears streamed down her face and a painfully anguished sob escaped her.

Opie was frozen there on his knees with his arm outstretched as it was when he had tried to reach for her. The sound Dani was making, the sight of her in that kind of pain broke his heart. He didn’t know what to do, and before he had time to think, Jax had come back into the room at a rush, obviously having heard Dani’s cries.

“What the hell happened?” Jax asked as he moved past Opie towards his sister. He too knelt down and tried to reach for Dani, but she jerked back again and scooted into the corner the room.

“Don’t touch me,” she sobbed out again. “Don’t look at me.” Dani was lost in her own head, which was filled with old painful memories, suddenly sharper, clearer, more painful. She had registered that someone had tried to touch her, and part of her even acknowledged that it had been Opie, and then Jax, but that small part of her that was aware of her reality wasn’t connecting with the rest of her mind.

Touch was bad, it was scary, it made her feel uncomfortable. She didn’t want the bad men to touch her anymore. She curled tighter into herself tighter and continued to cry and rocked herself slightly back and forth. There was so much hurt, she felt like she was going to explode. She knew she had to get herself under control. If the men found her crying like this, they would hurt her, or throw her in the dark closet, most likely both.

She thought she could hear someone trying to soothe her, speaking to her in calming words. She knew that trick, though. They would sometimes be nice to her but then once her guard was down, they would be twice as cruel, twice as ruthless. She shook her head. She wasn’t going to fall for that, but through the fear running through her, something broke through. “…you’re safe, Dani.”

Dani. Not Diana. She must have misheard, right? They never used her real name, they told her it wasn’t real. Was this a new trick they were playing on her? Maybe they were testing her—if she reacted to her real name, things would get really bad. Trying not to show that she had reacted, she tried to concentrate on the words, tried to figure out what was going on. “…safe Dani. It’s Jax. Opie’s here too. You’re ok, Dan girl. You’re safe.”

His words came to her and she was suddenly aware of where she was, _when_ she was, though she still felt as if she was trapped half in the present, half still lost in her memories. “Jax?” she croaked out between sobs.

“Yeah, Dani, it’s me. Talk to me. Wat’s going on?” Jax asked softly, not moving.

“I can’t anymore. It hurts too much. I can’t block it out anymore.” Dani choked out between cries. “It’s too much.”

“Remember what I told you. Let me help you carry the load. Let us help you. You don’t have to keep it locked up inside. Let it go, Dani.”

Dani stayed where she was for a moment, crying, as she listened to what Jax was saying before forgetting the file she had been clutching so desperately and launching herself into Jax’s arms. If it was possible, she cried even harder once she felt the protective embrace of her brother. “It hurts,” she cried.

“I know, Dani, I know.” Jax said, trying to calm her down.

With one hand she clutched on to Jax’s arm. The other reached out blindly, searching. “Opie,” she gasped out and almost instantly felt his large hand engulf her own and hold on tightly. The three of them sat there on the floor like that until Dani cried herself to sleep.

* * *

Dani groaned as she woke up, her head pounding, muscles aching from her crying. She stretched her back and slowly opened her eyes. The motel room was dimly lit; the bedside table lamp was the only light on in the room, casting a soft yellow light across the room. Her eyes immediately locked on the large hand that engulfed her own and she let her eyes trace the path of the hand, up the arm attached to it, over the broad shoulder and up to the face of the person she most wanted to see. He was sitting in a chair next to the bed, leaning forward, watching her intently with eyes that were red and still a little watery.

“Opie,” she tried to say, but her mouth was dry and her throat sore, so it came out as a whispered croak.

Opie didn’t say anything, just reached for a glass of water with his free hand and held it out for her. Dani turned on her side and propped herself up so she could take a long drink from the glass. When she settled back down, Opie took the glass and set it on the bedside table, his eyes never leaving hers. “Better?” he asked. When she nodded, he spoke again. “What do you need, baby?”

Dani paused for a moment, considering. Her mind flashed to a time when she was upset, and Opie had let her crawl into his lap and pull his arms around her, letting her control the comfort he was giving her. Gripping his hand, she scooted back further in the bed and pulled on Opie’s hand. Opie followed her and climbed into the bed. Once he was settled in the bed, sitting up, leaning against the headboard Dani scooted closer. She curled into his chest and pulled his arms around her and tugged on them until he was holding her tightly. 

“Are you ok?” Opie asked her as he pressed a kiss on the top of her head.

“I don’t know,” Dani confessed. She felt empty, sad, hurt, raw, like she was hollow and broken and she said as much.

“You’re not broken.” He told her. “You’re so much stronger than you think you are, stronger than I ever knew.”

“Did you see it?” Dani asked and Opie knew what she was talking about.

“Yes.” His voice was tight like he was trying to contain the anger and hurt that seeing those images had caused him. “We saw it.”

“I don’t ever want to see it again.” She told him. “I don’t want to know what’s on that flash drive thing, or even think about it again.” There was silence for a moment before she spoke again. “I forgot how bad it was. How fucked up is it that I’ve been through so much terrible shit I could forget _that_?”

“I’m so sorry baby. What do you need?” Opie asked her.

“Just hold me.” Dani said.

So that’s what Opie did.


End file.
